Hoist the Colors: Book One
by E4me100
Summary: Enter Elyse and Jay, two long-time friends with different pasts and futures ahead of them. One had dreamt about sailing the seas since she was a child, the other preferring to stay on the sidelines when it comes to dangerous journeys. But when both are swept up into the chaos that only pirates can create, well...it's certainly not smooth sailing. Will/OC. OC inserts. ON HOLD.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hello, my lovely readers, and welcome to my latest fanfic series! :D Obviously this is a Pirates of the Caribbean fanfic, and it'll have a Will/OC pairing because a) I love anything and everything Orlando Bloom ;D and b) I just don't like the Elizabeth/Will pairing very much. Don't get me wrong, the development of their relationship was alright, but...I just think Will could do a LOT better. :) And besides, there are too many Jack/OC fics out there. Let's change things up a bit, shall we? Lol. **

**But yeah. Updating schedule will still be as random as it was for the fourth book of The Changing Destinies series (for those of you who read it :D), as I'm still in school and have more work than I'd like to. -_- Expect a chapter update about every 2 or 3 days. I'm still finalizing some of the details for this fanfic, though, so it might be a bit slower starting off. I just felt like writing the prologue now. XD **

**Okay, I'll shut up now and stop rambling in the Author's Note. :3 Let's begin!**

Hoist the Colors: Book One

Prologue

_Unknown location, 1712_

Yet another harsh, unforgiving wave broke in the shallows and slipped up over the sandy shore overlooked by a jagged rocky cliff. The sky was a dark, angry grey, with the wind ominously swirling around, causing the red, white, and blue flag protruding from the front of a large white house at the top of the cliff to flutter and snap wildly. The foreboding atmosphere did little to deter the young girl from continuing her walk along the beach, however. Her blonde hair blew freely around her childish face, and her small hazel eyes stared stared blankly down at her bare feet as she walked, the soft white linen of her dress dragging behind her in the sand as she went. As she plodded down the wet shoreline, she hummed an indiscernible tune quietly to herself, smiling a bit as she lifted her gaze to look at the long stretch of land ahead.

Just then, the girl abruptly stopped humming, and her brow creased in confusion as a glint of white caught her eye from several feet away. She broke into a light run, splashing sticky sand and water up on her ankles as waves continued to roughly wash over the shore. She stopped just as she reached the white object, bending down to pull it out of the sand and holding it in pale cupped hands. It was a necklace with a teardrop-shaped pure white stone, dangling from a length of of thin but strong leather cord. The girl stared at it for it curiously as she wiped bits of sand off of the necklace's charm, wondering why it had washed up on her beach, and where it had come from. Had someone thrown it out? Who would ever throw out such a simple, but pretty piece of jewelry?

The girl was startled out of her thoughts when she heard a familiar voice call her name from far above. It was her mother. "Come back to the house, dear! A storm's coming!"

"Yes, mother!" she shouted back up to the clifftop before glancing out at the horizon. Sure enough, she could spot brief flashes of lighting far out into the open sea, and knew that rain would arrive any minute now. Being the obedient little girl that she was, she quickly slipped the necklace into the pocket of her dress and ran back the way she'd came, towards the trail that led from the beach all the way up to the house's backyard in a gentle slope. After all, a storm was coming. Best not to get caught in it.

**A/N: I know it's short, but it's only a prologue. :) I'm about halfway through writing the first chapter, so that'll be up shortly. ^^ Until next time! *waves* Don't forget to review!**

**Erin**


	2. Welcome to Port Royal

Hoist the Colors: Book One

Chapter One

Jay's POV

I rolled over and groaned as my forehead smacked into the hard wooden post of Elizabeth's bed. "Bloody hell..." I mumbled, blinking and rubbing my sore face.

There were sounds of someone scuffling about the dark room, and a second later I heard the voice of my five-years-younger cousin from behind me. "Good morning, Jay." I could envision the eye roll she'd likely done at my language already.

I twisted around in my cocoon of blankets and stared up at her from where I lay on the floor. "What time is it?" I asked.

"I've no idea," she replied, turning to look in a mirror that was mounted on the wall of her well-furnished room. I watched as she slipped a thin golden chain over her head, allowing the charm for the jewelry to fall just below her nightgown's low neckline.

I smiled knowingly. "You still have the medallion?"

She turned to face me and nodded, fingering the golden pirate coin. "Yes. I could never bring myself to be rid of it...but I've hardly ever worn it at all."

I vividly remembered the day that I'd come to visit her all those years ago, with Elizabeth excitedly showing me her 'secret treasure' that she'd found several days before. She'd never told me the complete story of how she'd gotten it, other than the fact that she'd found it on the ship that had been carrying her through the open sea. "Are you wearing it today?"

She opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off by the loud pounding on the door. Both of us burst into action at the sound, and I struggled to get get up off of the extra mattress and tangle of sheets that had been provided for me during my stay here. Elizabeth quickly hid the medallion in her nightdress again and pulled on a dressing gown over top of it, as did I. Her father's voice could be heard on the other side of the door. "Elizabeth? Janette? Is everything all right? Girls, are you decent?"

"Yes!" Elizabeth responded as she fumbled with the fabric.

The door was opened, and in walked my Uncle Swann, followed by four of their household maids, two of them carrying large boxes. "Still abed at this hour?" he asked, eying us both bemusedly. "It's a beautiful day." Despite my quiet protests, one of the maids flung the thick window draperies aside, letting bright sunlight into the room. I winced and blinked rapidly, rubbing my royal blue eyes. Uncle Swann then smiled at us both. "I have something for each of you." He lifted the lids of each box, and the maid holding my box stepped forward.

I gasped softly. Inside was a beautiful deep purple dress with half-length sleeves that would fut my arms tightly and a full skirt rimmed with ruffles. The entire thing was made of a material that had a subtle pattern which reminded me somewhat of ocean waves. I looked over every last detail of the dress as I removed it from the box. "Oh uncle, it's beautiful!"

Elizabeth nodded in agreement. "May I inquire as to the occasion?" Her dress was a light beige color with gold patterns woven into the fabric everywhere. It was a similar style to mine, though the sleeves were full-length, and her dress seemed to be made of a much heavier fabric.

"Is an occasion necessary for a father and uncle to dote upon his daughter and niece with gifts?" he replied, still smiling as we both moved behind out respective changing screens to be helped into our dresses by the maids. "Although...I did think you could wear them to the ceremony today."

"Ceremony?" came Elizabeth's response.

"Captain Norrington's promotion ceremony."

A slightly annoyed look crossed my cousin's face, and she poked her head out from behind the screen. "I knew it!"

Uncle Swann ignored her comment. "Or, rather..._Commodore _Norrington, as he's about to become. A fine gentleman, don't you think?" She didn't answer. "He fancies you, you know. And you may keep your dress, Janette. Think of it as a gift of appreciation from me," I heard him say after a moment.

I almost sighed in exasperation. "Uncle, please. Call me Jay." As much as I loved him, it bothered me how often he used my full name. Suddenly, Elizabeth gasped from beside me, and I looked over at her with a frown. "What's wro- Oh!" I was cut off by a gasp of my own as the maid behind me yanked on the laces of my corset, making it feel like I had a two hundred pound weight crushing my stomach.

"Girls? How's it coming?"

"It's...difficult to say..." Elizabeth and I exchanged uncomfortable glances.

I got the attention of one of my assistants. "Do me a favor," I whispered. "Loosen the corset a bit." She nodded with a small smile and did so, allowing me to breathe a sigh of relief.

"I'm told it's the latest fashion in London," my uncle said.

"Well, women in London must've learned not to breathe!" I laughed quietly at my cousin's statement and stepped out from behind the changing area once the maids were done arranging the skirt's layers, earning a smile from Uncle Swann.

"You look wonderful, dear." He nodded in approval.

"Thank you," I replied with a nod in return. I moved over to the vanity that sat against one of Elizabeth's walls and grabbed a hairbrush, beginning to comb through my raven-black hair.

A minute later, a butler appeared in the doorway of the room. "Milord, you have a visitor."

"Ah," he said, and I looked at him in the mirror. "Young Mr. Turner. I was expecting him. I'll see you in a moment, Elizabeth; Jay." He glanced at each of us in turn before stepping out of the bedroom just as I set the brush down.

Elizabeth came out a few minutes later, fully dressed, and the maids also left us to ourselves in order to finish getting ready. "You look great!" I complimented.

"Thank you, Jay." She walked over and stood behind me at the vanity, also starting to fix up her dark blonde hair.

I smirked. "Better hurry so that you can say hello to Will before we go to the ceremony."

She blushed slightly. "Jay!"

"Oh, don't deny it, dear Lizzie." We both laughed, and I finished twisting my naturally straight hair into a pile of loose curls that sat on top of my head, save for one curl that dangled down on either side of my face, the dark locks laying nicely against my sun-kissed skin. After putting on a very light amount of makeup and attaching my favorite pair of lavender gem earrings to my ears, I stood up and let Elizabeth take the chair. "I'm going to head down," I said, clipping a strand of pearls around my neck.

"All right," she replied. "I'm just about done."

"You'd better hurry," I teased, grinning as I left the spacious bedroom and began to make my way down the grand staircase nearby. Once I came within view of the foyer, I smiled as the two men below noticed me. "Hello Mr. Turner." I said as I continued down the stairs.

The dark-haired blacksmith smiled politely back at me. "Miss Lachence." Again, I wished that he'd just call me Jay, but I knew that we weren't quite close enough to be so informal.

I arrived at the base of the steps and walked up to stand next to my uncle. "It's been awhile," I said to Will. "How've you been?"

"Good," he replied. "Thank you."

"Are you joining us in going to the promotion ceremony?"

He shook his head. "I was not given an invitation."

_Well, someone I know isn't going to be too happy about that. _"Oh. Then I hope to see you again some other time."

All of a sudden, all three pairs of eyes turned upwards to the top of the stairs, this time to look at Elizabeth. I didn't miss the almost humorously lovesick look on Will's face as he looked her over. "Elizabeth, you look absolutely stunning!" my uncle praised her.

She paid him no mind, though. Her eyes lit up as she recognized the younger man in the room. "Will! So good to see you!" Immediately, she hurried down the rest of the staircase and went directly to him. "I had a dream about you last night," she said, smiling.

The blacksmith blinked at her, surprised. "Really?"

"Elizabeth, this is hardly appropriate-"

Again, my cousin ignored her father. "About the day we met; do you remember?"

He offered her a small, slightly nervous smile. "I could never forget it, Miss Swann."

I was surprised that she _didn't _roll her eyes at that. "Will, how many times must I ask you to call me Elizabeth?"

Even I'll admit that Will's nervousness in my cousin's presence was kind of adorable. "At least once more, Miss Swann. As always."

Uncle Swann then broke into the conversation. "Well said! At least the boy has a sense of propriety. Now come girls, we really must be going. Wouldn't want to be late, after all." He took a sleek black case from Will and held open the front door for Elizabeth.

I smiled and nodded politely to Will, as did Elizabeth. "Good day, Mr. Turner," she said seriously before turning and quickly walking off. Uncle Swann followed us both out the door, and the driver quickly helped us up into the waiting carriage that would take us to Fort Charles, where the ceremony was taking place.

"Good day!..." I heard Will call after us as we prepared to leave.

"You know, he really is very sweet," I said, situating myself next to Elizabeth. Uncle Swann sat across from us.

"He is," she agreed with a soft laugh, but her gaze then shifted to look out the window as the carriage lurched once before taking off at a steady pace, the grand mansion of the Swanns quickly growing smaller behind us with each passing second.

Uncle Swann was less than pleased with his daughter, though. "Dear, I do hope you demonstrate a bit more decorum in front of Commodore Norrington. After all, it is only through his efforts that Port Royal has become at all civilized."

In my mind, I scoffed. _Yes, because clearly he's the only man around here who serves to protect our people. Not like we have hundreds of soldiers lingering around the fort every day or anything. _But my eyes also wandered as we traveled to the ceremony, particularly interested in seeing a single, puny fishing dory slowly moving into the docks that housed all the other larger navy ships. _What on Earth?...Oh, never mind. _

**A/N: Sorry for the short chapter, but I felt like it would be a good place to stop. Chapters for this fic might be shorter than normal because of how I'll have to split things up, but I'll try my best to make them an even size. Oh, and please let me know if I get anyone's lines wrong at all. I have a site that's got the entire script written out, but I'm not sure how reliable of a source it is. :) Thanks!**

**~Erin**


	3. Quite an Entrance

Hoist the Colors: Book One

Chapter Two

Jay's POV

I sighed out of boredom and turned my gaze to Uncle Swann who stood at the head of the crowd of those who'd come to the promotion ceremony, trying to amuse myself by counting how many little buttons and rivets were on both his coat and that of the uniformed men surrounding him (there were far more than necessary, if you want my opinion). In all honesty, I would rather have been anywhere but here at the moment. It was fairly hot, as we were standing in the open area of Fort Charles at around noon, I was dying to sit down, and it was so quiet in the place, save for the small band that was playing some fancy military song I didn't recognize. The tall stone walls of everything made it all feel so tight and closed in, and I could do nothing more but endure it and pray that all would be over soon.

Finally, after what seemed like a hundred years, the man I knew as James Norrington came forward, dressed in an incredibly fine white uniform with a deep blue jacket that had several gold accents running everywhere, and a black tricorne hat with frilly white decoration inside of its top. I stopped my counting and absentmindedly followed his tall form with my eyes as he kept a steady pace, passing the lines of red-clad soldiers with their guns pointed up and inwards to create a tunnel-like formation that he walked under.

As he stepped up to stand with Uncle Swann, I glanced at Elizabeth. She stood beside me, appearing to be almost gasping for breath and fanning herself madly. "Are you all right?" I whispered, eying her with concern.

She nodded subtly, then offered me a tight smile. "Yes...I'm fine." I wasn't buying it, but I nodded back and then turned my attention to Norrington again. After all, we were supposed to remain silent and still during the program.

I watched Uncle Swann remove a beautiful sword and its scabbard from the black case he'd brought with him – the one he'd gotten from Will, I remembered. My eyes flicked back to Norrington as the sword was sheathed and held out to him. I'd never had a reason to dislike the man, but he'd certainly never been a close friend of mine. James just always seemed so...precise. Uptight about the smallest details. He wasn't the type of man who relaxed and just let loose very often at all, from what I could tell. Even when I used to visit Elyse at their home here in Port Royal as a child, he'd always been so serious.

_Speaking of Elyse... _My eyes found her standing directly across from us, just below and behind Uncle Swann, and I smiled when I caught her eye. She was the younger sister of James by eight years, being only twenty-two, though most people wouldn't know her name if you asked them. Elyse had light blonde hair that was long and currently pulled up into a bun of sculpted curls on her head, and was the type of young woman that was quiet and never one for adventures. She shared the same greyish green eyes as her brother, and today she wore a pale pink dress with soft gold accents that highlighted them perfectly. I saw her look around Elizabeth and I, a slight frown pulling at the edges of her lips when she couldn't find who she was looking for, and then her gaze moved back to me. I shook my head in the smallest amount possible. "_Not here,_" I mouthed, much to her disappointment. I almost smiled at the semi-childish pout on her face, and knew that she'd definitely want to ask me about it later.

At that moment, applause broke out amongst the other people around me, and I snapped my head back towards James to see him smiling stiffly as he was clapped on the back and acknowledged by the other navy men, now officially Commodore James Norrington. I clapped along with everyone else, as did Elizabeth beside me, though I did notice her secretly trying to adjust something with her dress as she did so. I gently poked her in the back to get her attention, and she glanced over he shoulder at me. "What's wrong?" I asked quietly.

"Nothing," she said, dismissing it with a shake of her head as she turned forward again. I frowned at her, frustrated that she refused to tell me what was going on, but before I could say anything else, the people broke out of the original organized group they'd been in moments before, and Elizabeth immediately went off towards her father.

Just as I went to follow her, I heard my best friend's voice from beside me. "Jay!"

I turned and beamed as Elyse stepped up and hugged me tightly, forgetting about my cousin. "Elyse! It's been too long since I've seen you!"

"You're finally back!" We released each other, and she laughed lightly. "I almost thought you wouldn't make it in time!"

"Well, I did," I said, the smile momentarily turning into a scowl as someone bumped into me from behind, pushing me forward a step. I shot an annoyed glare over my shoulder, then looked at Elyse. "Let's go somewhere less crowded, shall we?" She nodded in agreement, and the two of us started making our way out of Fort Charles. Within several minutes, we'd gotten quite a distance away from the massive stone structure, now casually meandering around the area close to the docks far below the parapets of the fort.

"So Will isn't with you?" Elyse asked, looking disappointed.

I shook my head. "He said he wasn't invited." Elyse had fancied the blacksmith for quite some time now, I knew, though she'd always felt like she would never be able to have him because she knew of his feelings for Elizabeth. I found it hilarious that she'd act rather hostile to my cousin at times, and that Elizabeth didn't have the slightest clue as to why Elyse disliked her so much.

Elyse frowned. "I guess James didn't send him an invitation, then...even though I asked him to several times."

I shot her a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry, Elyse."

She just shook her head. "It isn't your fault, Jay. It's my brother's fault for being overprotective. I don't know why he sees Will in such a bad light. For all I know, they hardly ever even talk to each other!"

"He probably just doesn't like the idea of his little sister growing up," I said, looking away from my friend as we walked.

She huffed. "Well that's ridiculous."

"Does he have his eye on anyone?"

"I don't know, actually," she replied as my eyes looked over the docks in the harbor nearby. "I've asked him several times, but he won't tell me anything. I suspect he has someone that he likes, but I don't know who she is...though I did overhear him saying something to someone about proposing today."

All of a sudden, I stopped walking. The words of Uncle Swann from this morning suddenly came flooding back to me...words that I'd hardly been paying attention to earlier. _'Commodore Norrington, as he's about to become...He fancies you, you know.' _I grabbed Elyse's shoulder, causing her to also stop walking and look at me curiously. "Elyse, wait! I just remembered something Uncle Swann said this morning! Your brother's going after-"

"ELIZABETH!"

The shout came from up on the parapet of Fort Charles that overlooked the open ocean, and Elyse's head snapped up at the sound of her brother's voice. I watched the figure of my cousin's body plummet down into the blue waters below, horrified, then looked up to see James ripping off his heavy blue coat, as if preparing to jump. He was stopped only a moment later by several other navy men holding him back, then taking off at a full run towards the docks a moment later.

I looked at Elyse., who looked shocked. "Did she just-"

I didn't hear anything after that, though, because I'd already started sprinting down towards the docks as well, terrified at the fact that my cousin hadn't surfaced after her fall.

oOo

Elyse's POV

I sighed in exasperation before gathering up the skirts of my dress and running after Jay. _Of course. Because if Elizabeth is is danger, the world simply MUST stop spinning._ I understood that she was the governor's daughter and all, but...quite frankly, it seemed like if she so much as bruised her shin, every able-bodied man would be at her bedside offering her flowers and wishing her a speedy recovery. A bit over-dramatic, don't you think?

But for the moment, that wasn't the most important thing on my mind. What bothered me most was that Jay had somehow been able to figure out who my brother had fallen for before I could. I frowned a bit. How was it that she could've predicted it? She wasn't even that close with him! In the back of my mind, though, a nagging thought grew bigger and stronger every minute. Had Jay been about to suggest that James' proposal had been intended for Elizabeth, of all people? The more I thought about it, the more I could see it as a possibility...but still! He knew that she preferred Will over anyone else. I'd been the first one to tell him that! _What was he thinking?_

All of a sudden, I heard the oddest sound...almost like the faint pulse of a heartbeat, and frowned even more in confusion when a large ripple suddenly formed in the water where Elizabeth had fallen, moving almost unnaturally fast. In the same moment, the soft breeze that had been blowing from land out to sea died down completely, then began blowing in the opposite direction with much more force. As I finally caught up with Jay at the end of the dock, I grabbed her arm, looking around warily and spying dark clouds rolling in towards Port Royal.

I looked back at my friend, wondering if she knew what was going on, but I couldn't get a word out before my attention switched to the people in front of us as a soldier that I knew to be called Mullroy cried out "Not breathing!" He was crouched over Elizabeth's soaking wet, unconscious form, trying desperately to revive her, and I blinked when I realized that the expensive dress she'd worn to the ceremony was nowhere to be seen.

"Move." Another man pushed past Mullroy to lean over the governor's daughter. He looked like quite an interesting character, to say the least, with a deep red bandanna tied around his forehead to keep long, messy, dark dreadlocks from falling into his face, along with beaded chains and other mismatching trinkets that were stuck in his hair. His skin was deeply tanned, and two glittering dark brown eyes lined with kohl were set into his face, along with a straight nose and lips that seemed to be set in a slight natural frown. He had a rough mustache and beginnings of a beard on his chin, which was woven into two small braids that dangled from his jawline. Before anyone could do a thing, he'd whipped out his knife and cut straight through the corset that had been tied tightly around Elizabeth's torso a moment before, and instantly she came to, sputtering and coughing up water onto the dock.

"Never would have thought of that," Mullroy said, shocked.

The other man glanced over at him and spoke, revealing a few golden teeth stuck in between the other ones. "Clearly you've never been to Singapore."

"Of course it was the corset," Jay muttered beside me, and I glanced over at her briefly before looking back to Elizabeth, who now looked almost fearful as the strange man reached down and lifted what looked like a golden pirate medallion up closer to his face.

He looked just as confused as I felt. "...Where did you get that?" he asked lowly. I noticed he had multiple rings on his fingers as well. _Who is this man? _

Suddenly, the sharp tip of a sword was being pointed at his throat, and the man looked at it for a second before moving his eyes up the rest of the blade until they met the steely gaze of my brother, who had finally managed to reach us (along with several other soldiers and Governor Swann). "On your feet," he commanded sharply. The man did as he was told, and once James protectively stepped partially in front of Jay and I, I realized that the other men had their guns trained on him as well.

"Elizabeth!" Governor Swann exclaimed. "Are you all right?" He immediately got her to her feet and removed his coat to wrap around her.

"Yes, yes I'm fine – Commodore Norrington, do you really intend to kill my rescuer?" She looked at my brother pleadingly, and he met her gaze. I watched him as well, noticing how his eyes softened when he looked at her. Internally, I tensed. _Oh, no...don't tell me Jay actually was right..._

James looked back to the man in front of him, who nodded in agreement as best he could with a blade under his chin. After a moment of thought, he sheathed his sword and extended his hand, still keeping a serious air about him. "I believe thanks are in order."

The strange man hesitated at first, but accepted the handshake anyway. Just as I thought all had gone well, however, my brother suddenly yanked the man's tan arm forward and pushed his sleeve back, exposing a "P" branded into the skin of his wrist. My eyes widened, and I heard Jay gasp softly beside me as well, though when I looked at her, her eyes reflected excitement. I knew exactly why: he was a pirate.

I could hear the disdain in my brother's voice as his eyes became stern and unforgiving again. "Had a brush with the East India Trading Company, did we, _pirate_?"

At the accusation, the air became tense again, and the governor's voice shot up half an octave. "Hang him!"

"Keep your guns on him, men," James ordered. "Gillette, fetch some irons." But then he noticed something else on the pirate's skin as he pushed back the sleeve even more: a tattoo of a bird taking flight over the open sea. "Well, well...Jack Sparrow, isn't it?"

I felt a sharp poke in my arm, and glanced over at Jay, who looked absolutely awed when James announced his name. She was staring at the sailor like he was a god.

"_Captain _Jack Sparrow, if you please, sir." I looked back to he now known as Jack, who smirked slightly.

My brother scoffed and glanced around. "Well, I don't see your ship..._Captain_." I looked Jack over again, the name familiar in my mind. He'd always been Jay's favorite pirate, in fact she viewed him as somewhat of a celebrity, but there was something else...some other connection that I couldn't quite make.

"I'm in the market, as it were." Now Jack smiled rather uneasily.

"He said he'd come to commandeer one," a soldier by the name of Murtogg spoke up.

Mullroy glanced at him. "I told you he was telling the truth," he mumbled. The man then turned and held out a bundle of goods to my brother. "These are his, sir."

As James examined Jack's accessories, I leaned towards Jay, slowly remembering things from the past. "What's the name of his father?" I whispered, tilting my chin towards the pirate.

"Captain Teague," she whispered back, "Edward Teague."

I leaned away, remembering things fully now. _Teague...James was rescued by a pirate named Teague once, when he was young. I can barely remember it; I was there! Does he know that he's speaking to his savior's son right now? _

"...You are without a doubt the worst pirate I've ever heard of," James commented, finished eying the other man's belongings.

Jack only seemed pleased with this. "Ahh, but you have heard of me!" Just then, Lieutenant Gillette returned with the irons for Jack, and he was led away to be cuffed.

Elizabeth, however, was having none of it. She pulled away from her father and stomped forward. "Commodore, I really must protest!"

"Carefully, Lieutenant," my brother warned, seemingly ignoring her.

"James!" I cried, causing him to turn and look at me curiously, along with several others. I stepped forward and glowered at him. "You don't know who he is, do you? That is the son of Captain Edward Teague, I am told; the very same man who saved you from drowning after falling overboard on an expedition with Father when you were young!" I caught a glint of recognition in his eyes at the name Teague, and spotted Jack look over at us as well. "And now the son of your rescuer has just saved Elizabeth from drowning. Is this really necessary?" I gestured to the manacles.

James seemed to think about it for a moment, but a stubbornness that I hated about him overtook his face again, and he shook his head. "One good deed is not enough to redeem a man a lifetime of wickedness."

"Though it seems enough to condemn him," Jack piped up with a glare at him.

"Indeed." My brother matched his glare as Gillette stepped away from him, but Elizabeth remained in place in front of Jack.

Suddenly, the pirate seemed to almost breathe a sigh of relief. "Finally." Faster than anyone could blink, he threw the chain connecting the iron cuffs around Elizabeth's neck and yanked him toward her, sending a jolt of fear through the rest of us.

"No!" Governor Swann cried. "Don't shoot!" The men kept their weapons trained on Jack, but now he had the advantage. He had a shield.

Jack smiled devilishly. "I knew you'd warm up to me." Then, in a more demanding tone, he said "Commodore Norrington, my effects please, and my hat." No one moved except for Jack, who was slowly backing away and pulling Elizabeth with him. "Commodore!" he threatened. Reluctantly, James held out his hands and took Jack's things from Mullroy, then extended them forward. Then Jack leaned forward to speak into Elizabeth's ear. "Elizabeth – it is Elizabeth, isn't it?"

The lady in question seemed more angry than she was afraid. "It's Miss Swann," she growled.

"Miss Swann, if you'd be so kind..." Jack prompted. Everyone watched as she took the items from Norrington, then was spun around by Jack as he took back his pistol and faced them belly to belly. "Now if you'd be _very_ kind..." he said, quieter. Elizabeth easily figured out what he wanted and reattached his belt, sword, and hat. "Come, come dear. We don't have all day," Jack pushed her as she worked. She muttered something I couldn't hear to him, to which he also replied softly, and I saw him sneak a smirk over her shoulder as he leaned in just a hair closer, catching my brother's attention, who rolled his eyes in disgust. A second later, Elizabeth was facing forward again, though still under Jack's chains, and now with a gun to the side of her head. "Gentlemen! Miladies..." he added when he noticed Jay and I standing there, "You will always remember this as the day that you almost caught Captain...Jack...Sparrow!"

As soon as the last syllable was out of his mouth, he released Elizabeth and shoved her back towards us, she being easily caught by James. Mere seconds later, there was a loud bang, and I looked up to see a huge hole now in the middle of the dock that a few soldiers had fallen into. Looking up even farther, I spotted Jack clinging onto a rope that he'd created a pulley system with for dear life as he swung in circles around the gantry.

"Now will you shoot him?!" cried the governor in exasperation ad fury.

"OPEN FIRE!" James shouted from beside me, and I clapped my hands over my ears as the sounds of multiple gunshots rang loudly. I looked up again a few moments later when they stopped, my jaw dropping in amazement as I realized that not one of them had hit Jack. He'd balanced himself on top of another gantry beam and was now using the rope that extended down from that as a zip line, throwing the chains around it and sailing away, out of the clutches of the navy men. "On his heels!" James ordered, and immediately the others began to follow after him.

I grabbed Jay's arm and pulled her back as the men surged around us, my eyes turning to her as she watched Jack's form continue on in awe. "Where's he going?"

"He's escaping into the town," Jay said, cracking a smile. "Brilliant! That was incredible!"

But I wasn't focused on that now. Dread settled in my heart when she told me where he was headed. _Into town. A dangerous pirate's headed into town. Will. _Without another word, I took off running back down the docks again, ignoring Jay's shout as I raced towards the blacksmith in hopes that I could warn Will before something went horribly wrong.


	4. Faceoff at the Smithy

**Bonus A/N: Oh my word! I'm so sorry for the random gap in updating, you guys...I thought I'd uploaded this chapter days ago! D: Sorry!**

**A/N: Hello again, my lovely readers! :D Just wanted to let you guys know before we begin this next chapter of a couple things. First is this: If either Elyse or Jay start heading into the Mary-Sue zone (or even TOWARDS it, mind you), please let me know so that I won't realize too late that I've created a Mary-Sue OC, which means I'll have to shoot myself in the foot. :I **

**Second! A couple of you have been asking about whether or not I'll be going into other characters' POV besides the girls, and to that I can say yes. You'll definitely see some Will POV as the story progresses, and (possibly) some Jack POV/Norrington POV. Not sure yet, though. I have to do some thinking about the last two. **

**Just a little update for you all. :3 Now on with the fic!**

Hoist the Colors: Book One

Chapter Three

Elyse's POV

I dodged another pedestrian and quietly mumbled an apology, trying to reach the smithy as fast as I could. Apparently word spread faster in Port Royal than I thought, because everyone was already panicking and on the lookout for the dangerous pirate who was on the loose. I personally wasn't going to make any judgments about Jack yet, as I hadn't officially met him just yet, but that didn't mean that I was going to simply forget about him as he ran through the streets of town. As I glanced around, I realized how lucky I was that I'd been able to get away without James stopping me and ordering for me to return home. _As if, _I thought. _It's just one pirate, after all, and I can handle myself perfectly fine against a single man. _

Suddenly, the door to the blacksmith's shop came into sight, and a new burst of adrenaline pulsed through my veins as I picked up the pace. My eyes were fixed firmly on the doorknob. _Almost there..._ Unfortunately, I was so caught up in heading straight for the shop that I failed to notice another approaching from a different direction, and crashed into the person just as I neared the door. Being the incredibly smooth woman that I was, I tripped on the skirt of my dress and fell forward to the ground, gasping in shock as the person almost fell over top of me.

A blush crept across my cheeks as I tried to stand up. "I'm so sorry," I said quietly. "I wasn't watching where I was going." When I finally turned to look at the other person, my face burned even more.

"Elyse?"

"O-oh! Hello Will," I stuttered, trying to discreetly brush the dirt off of my dress. I smiled meekly.

He laughed, making his deep chocolate eyes sparkle and crinkle at the corners. "You never were known for being good on your feet," he teased.

My embarrassment left me easily at his joking, and I rolled my eyes. "Mr. Turner, do you think that to be entirely proper? I ran all this way to look for you, and this is how you greet me?"

He raised his eyebrows in question. "You were looking for me?"

"Yes, I was," I nodded. "To warn you. Will, there's a pirate by the name of Jack Sparrow running around Port Royal. He threatened Elizabeth-" Here there was a flash of anger in his eyes that disappointed me "-and the soldiers tried to arrest him, but he managed to escape somehow." I paused, unable of how to word the rest of it. "I, uh...I was worried that you would be unprepared," I finished.

"You don't need to worry about me," Will replied. "You know that." He smiled at me, which I returned with relief. "Thank you for the forewarning, though."

"Not a problem," I nodded.

Will made to step past me into the blacksmith's, but stopped at the last second. "Wait!" He spun to face me again. "Elyse, I just remembered! You left your necklace here the other day at practice."

"Which necklace?" I asked. "The white one?"

He nodded. "I found it on a table inside. You must've forgotten about it when you left." When Will and I had first met several years ago, we'd gotten friendly with each other rather quickly, and without anyone else knowing, I eventually had started to sneak out every afternoon to meet with him here at the shop to spend time together. Since he worked with weaponry, those visits naturally fell into sword fighting lessons, which I had been attending regularly for about three years. Will had been more than happy to teach me what he knew, as it gave him something to look forward to outside of his typical routine of crafting various things. I'd gotten quite good at swordplay, too. The meetings were still a secret, though. If James knew about it, he'd have my head on a silver platter.

My eyes widened. "Oh my goodness! Will, you have no idea how much time I spent looking for that!" I laughed. "I thought I'd gone mad and it had just disappeared!"

He smiled and shook his head. "No, I still have it in here somewhere. I can give it to you now if you'd like."

"That would be wonderful." Then a more mischievous smile appeared on my face. "...Perhaps we could start today's lesson a bit early. What do you think?"

"As much as I would love to say yes, I still have several things to finish inside," he said, "and Brown hasn't been out on his break yet. Unless he somehow managed to finally put the bottle down and do something productive." We both snickered at the joke. "Come on." He waved me forward as he opened the door and stepped inside.

As soon as we entered, I frowned. The harnessed donkey that controlled the turning of the gears which spun various weapons (both finished and in the making) in a circle was moving, causing the whole system to clank and creak loudly as it spun. Will frowned in confusion and ran forwards, stopping the poor animal immediately and effectively silencing the place again. I also came forward, looking around curiously. "What was that about?"  
"I'm not sure," he said with a shrug. "Maybe something frightened him."

I narrowed my eyes a bit and looked around the smithy again. Everything else seemed to be in near perfect order as usual, save for a few separate works that were laid out here and there. "Right where I left you," I heard Will mutter as he and I both noticed the owner of the smithy, Mr. Brown, completely passed out drunk on top of a barrel, the alcohol bottle loose in his hand.

I turned away and scanned the room a third time, now looking for my necklace. When I spotted it on a nearby table, I smiled and walked over to retrieve it, picking it up in one hand and looking it over. It was something I'd found on the shore of our oceanfront home when I was just a child; a tear-shaped, smooth white stone on a leather cord. I'd always felt so attached to it since the day I'd discovered it, and it was by far my favorite piece of jewelry that I owned. "Will, I found it!" I spun around again to see that he'd taken his jacket off, revealing a simple brown vest pulled over a puffy white shirt underneath, and was peering curiously down at a hammer and anvil that were set on a table.

"Not where I left you..." he said quietly. I walked over to his side again and also frowned, then looked to the side and spotted a brown leather tricorne hat just next to it.

I touched Will's arm gently. "That's not yours, is it?"

"No." He shook his head. The hat seemed awfully familiar to me, but I couldn't quite put a finger on where I'd seen it. Wanting to examine it further, I reached out to pick it up, but let out a yelp of fear and slight pain when the flat of a sword popped out of nowhere and slapped the back of my outstretched hand.

When I looked up this time, my eyes widened. "You..." I breathed, staring up at the pirate that had been causing trouble at the docks not five minutes ago. He had his sword drawn and was pointing it at me, a warning in his eyes, though he also watched Will closely.

The blacksmith instantly took on a protective stance, pushing me behind him slightly as he glared at his opponent. "You're the one they're hunting," he said as Jack began to step forward, backing us both up towards the door. "The pirate."

Jack cocked his head to the side slightly, looking at Will. "You seem somewhat familiar. Have I threatened you before?"

"I make a point of avoiding familiarity with pirates," Will said blandly.

Jack nodded, then looked to me. "Ahh, but you I _have_ seen recently. You were with all those kind men down at the docks," he said sarcastically. I didn't answer, just continued to stare. It wasn't necessarily that he scared me – after all, a weapon was within reach if I needed one – I just didn't know what to say, really.

Seeing that I was not responding, Will spoke up again. "...You're Jack Sparrow."

Jack's dark eyes flicked back to him. "Aye, that I am. _Captain _Jack Sparrow. And now that you've had the pleasure of meeting me..." In a flash, he turned and made to get away, but Will was just as fast in grabbing the nearest sword and pointing it at him. Jack pivoted on his heels and slowly stepped back towards him with almost an amused look in his eye. "Do you think this wise, boy? Crossing blades with a pirate?"

"You threatened Miss Swann," Will said, his voice dangerously low, "and you hurt Miss Norrington."

At this, Jack pulled out his own blade again and slid it up against Will's, smirking. "...Only a little."

Without warning, Jack quickly advanced on Will, pushing him back several feet with his attacks. Will blocked them all easily, and when an opening came, he swung viciously at Jack, the pirate only just stepping back in time to dodge a swipe to the face. They paused for a moment, and then Will began to lunge at Jack, driving the pirate back much faster and farther than he had gone.

Jack pushed Will's sword away, slowly stepping up to him. "You know what you're doing, I'll give you that. Excellent form." They touched blades again, and the pirate squinted a bit. "But how's your footwork?" The two began to circle around each other, banging away, and I used this moment to sneak off to the side and search for my own personal sword. "If I step here...Very good." I smiled a bit as I found my weapon, picking it up comfortably in case I'd need it. "Now I step again..." I turned around just in time to see that Jack's back was now facing me, and he'd managed to switch their positions. "Ta!" he said, turning as he sheathed his sword.

That was when I pressed the edge of my own to his neck, causing him to raise an eyebrow. "I don't think so," I said quietly.

Jack didn't seem to be taking me seriously, as I could tell he was trying to hide laughter. "Then I suppose you're his apprentice, then, is that it?"

I glared at him, removed my sword from his neck, and immediately starting swinging at him, driving him back as well so that he was stuck between Will and I. Jack managed to get his sword out in time to be able to block my attacks, but it was obvious that he hadn't been expecting so much from little old me. I smirked slightly as I held my sword level with his, ready for round two. "Your move, Mr. Sparrow."

I expected him to attack me again as he'd done with Will, so consequently I was caught off-guard when he didn't. "Impressive, but not good enough, I'm afraid," he said. Before I could react, he completely disarmed me and sent my sword flying out of my hand, then ran right past me and straight for the smithy's door. A split second later, however, something flew past my head, and a loud _thunk _was heard, followed by the distorted wavering sound of Will's sword wobbling back and forth from where it was lodged in the wood of the door just above it's latch. Jack's eyes widened and looked back to Will, as did mine. Jack then attempted to rip the sword out, but this failed miserably, and Will and I watched with amusement as he stood there, jumping up and down to try and wiggle it out.

Finally, he stopped and turned back to us, now angry. "That is a wonderful trick," he said, annoyance in his tone, "except once again, you are between me and my way out." He sauntered up to us and pulled out his own sword again. "And now neither of you have weapons."

On instinct, I reached behind me to where a nearly finished sword had been laying by the fireplace, the tip glowing a bright orange from still being scalding hot. I handed it to Will, knowing that he was the better swordsman and could use it more than I. He nodded in thanks, shooting Jack a challenging look as he held it out in front of him. The donkey suddenly began moving again, rotating the wheel of weapons as Will spun around it to intercept Jack's lunge. Sparks flew everywhere as they continued to clash blades, and I desperately looked around for a way to help. I finally settled on grabbing a small hatchet and swinging it widely at Jack's head when he crossed blades with Will in an attempt to push him back with his strength. Jack, of course, ducked to avoid the blow, allowing Will to relax and prepare to attack him again.

Jack now turned to me, glaring harshly as he lunged forward, trying to disarm me again. This time I managed to hang onto my weapon, though it felt incredibly awkward trying to parry his blows with a hatchet. I was having a slightly difficult time keeping up with him, and Jack knew it. He smirked as he backed me right into a wall, and I grit my teeth as I spun to the side, dodging his blow.

The pirate turned around to follow me, but was met by an angry Will, who attacked without mercy, moving faster than what Jack had expected. They kept at it for awhile, until Jack wrapped the scraps of his manacles' chain around Will's sword and ripped it clean out of his hand. Will moved back and took a dive to the ground between the spokes of the spinning weapon wheel, rolling a bit before getting back onto his feet. I grabbed another blade and tossed it to him, which he caught easily.

As the two men fought from either side of the pole in the center of the weapon wheel, Jack finally seemed to notice the fact that there were tons of weapons in varying shapes and sizes all around him. "Who makes all these?" he asked aloud as he moved forward with the momentum of the wheel, switching places with Will. I backed away from the moving machine and grabbed a new sword that was only about three-quarters of the way finished, but still sharp.

Will grabbed onto the pillar and stepped closer to Jack, blocking another attack. "I do!" he replied, flipping around to the other side. "And I practice with them..." Jack threw his sword straight at the blacksmith's face, which Will dodged by moving back to the other side of the pillar. "...three hours a day!" He caught another lunge from Jack, then dodged another flying sword that the pirate had launched at him.

Suddenly, the pirate glanced over at me, just in time to block as I tried to hit him. "And I guess you're the same way, aren't you?" he asked, jumping down and driving me back furiously with a new sword.

"You could say that," I said, sidestepping Jack and swinging my blade down to try and hit his legs. I then shot a small smile in Will's direction. "I'm taught by the best."

Jack suddenly leapt back up onto the spinning wheel just as Will came down next to me. "You two need to find yourselves some mates," he said. The smirk on his face widened even more as he looked from Will to me and then winked, causing me to blush. We both ducked a second later, dodging a wild swing from Jack, then Will lunged back at the pirate, getting him to jump backwards off of the rotating wheel. He jumped over it to meet with his skilled opponent, clashing weapons and ducking yet again as Jack threw another sword at his head.

I tried to sneak around and come at Jack from the backside, but he somehow noticed me and spun around just after shoving Will aside, and I just barely got my sword up in time to block an attack from him. He also used his advantage of strength to send me stumbling backwards, then spun and crossed blades with Will, leaning in a bit close to the blacksmith's face. "Or, perhaps the reason you practice three hours a day is that you've already found one, and are otherwise incapable of wooing said strumpet." Will's expression changed from confusion to irritation as Jack then glanced down pointedly, cringing. "You're not a eunuch, are you?" I rolled my eyes and stepped forward as Will spoke again.

"I practice three hours a day so that when I meet a pirate, I can kill it!" he spat. As he finished, he took a wide swipe at Jack's stomach, the pirate just managing to move backwards and dodge the metal blade. Jack then backed up onto a wooden cart, Will following two steps behind, and it lurched with the added weight of the two men, wobbling unsteadily as they continued to fight. Unfortunately, there was no room left for me, so I was forced to find another way to offer help.

As I looked around, I noticed that Mr. Brown was still somehow passed out, despite all the noise and commotion inside his shop. I frowned disapprovingly. "Who on Earth made _you_ in charge here?" I mumbled.

Suddenly I heard a clattering from behind me, and turned around to see that Will had somehow gotten the chain from Jack's manacle tangled around a sword that was stuck in the ceiling. Even still, Jack continued to swing at the younger male with one hand, then unexpectedly kicked up a loose board from the cart and hit Will square in the chin, knocking him clean off of the wobbly platform and onto the ground. "Will!" I gasped, immediately running over to my friend and helping him up. "Are you all right?"

He nodded. "I'm fine." As soon as he was back on his feet, he ran back up onto the cart, and I raised an eyebrow at seeing Jack now with his feet braced against the ceiling, trying desperately to pull himself free. Just as Will got up onto the cart, the sword came loose, and Jack fell down onto the wood, launching Will up into the air. My eyes widened as he barely caught himself on a rafter above, pulling himself up somewhat awkwardly.

"Will!" I shouted again, then turned and glared harshly at Jack, who looked amused at seeing his counterpart dangling in midair. As the pirate was distracted, I went at him without mercy, catching him off-guard again. His attacks were fierce, and I struggled a bit to keep up with him, but by now I'd gotten a bit accustomed to his sporadic fighting style, which made things easier. I backed him up until he was on the edge of the cart, wobbling slightly to keep his balance, and for a second I smiled to myself, thinking that I'd just about beaten him.

Apparently I thought too soon. From above me, there came a shout, and I looked up just in time to see Will lose his grip and fall from the ceiling, landing directly on top of me. While this did succeed in throwing Jack off of the cart with the sudden weight of us both, the two of us rolled clean off of the cart, and the breath was knocked out of me as Will landed on top of my stomach. I started lifting my head to get up, but jerked to a stop when I saw that his face was literally about four inches away from mine. I felt myself blush furiously from the position we were in, though I said nothing about it as he quickly got up and pulled me with him.

"Sorry," he said quickly, reaching down to grab his weapon.

I dared to glance over at him. "It...no, i-it's fine." Mentally, I kicked myself for sounding so stupid, but we had no time to dwell on it. I strode forward again, scanning the room for Jack, then spun around at the sound of metal on metal to see that the infernal pirate had slipped past me and was now in a one-on-one battle with Will again. I clenched my fists, completely fed up with Jack at this point. "Time to end this madness," I thought, turning and running over to where the cleaning supplies were kept as I no longer had my sword. I grabbed the thick-handled broomstick from where it was propped up against the wall and turned around, but froze as I saw Jack standing there, pistol cocked and aimed directly at Will's head.

The poor blacksmith was covered in orange-ish powder, almost seeming to pout as he stared at Jack. "You cheated."

"Pirate," was Jack's response, sounding like he was stating the obvious. He stepped forward, and Will, in turn, stepped back, though not out of the way of Jack's pistol. "Move away," the pirate ordered. Will was standing in his way, blocking the back exit. I could hear navy men banging on the front door, which was still jammed shut, and their shouts from outside.

"No!"

"Move!" Jack pushed.

"No!" Will was determined, which I admired about him. "I cannot just step aside and let you escape."

My heart pounded as Jack's finger tightened dangerously around the trigger. _Will! No! _Then I remembered what I was holding in my hand, and a burning hatred for Jack flared up in my heart as he spoke. "...This shot was not meant for you."

Though the statement confused me, I still wasted no time in striding up behind him and whacking him as hard as I could in the skull with the broomstick. A second later, he fell forward, landing flat on his face, and I sneered down at him. "Good riddance." Just as the soldiers managed to break the door down, I stepped over Jack's unconscious form and up to Will, looking him over. "Thank God you're alright! I thought for sure he'd shoot you!"

Will shrugged, showing that he was as confused about the pirate's actions as I was. Suddenly, he looked behind me, and I spun around at the sound of my brother's voice. "Elyse! What in God's name are you doing here?" I swallowed. James looked angry, but not at me. He was glaring at Will.

"James, I'm fine, I promise," I said, stepping between the two men and pulling my brother's eyes away from the innocent man behind me. "It was nothing serious, just a little skirmish."

"Nothing serious? You could've been killed!"

"But I'm still alive and well, aren't I?" I countered. "And we both managed to take care of him for you." I gestured to Jack. _Since apparently your men couldn't handle that themselves._

It seemed like James was just now noticing the knocked-out pirate on the ground. He suddenly seemed much less annoyed with Will as a smirk grew on his face. "It appears we came just in time." He then glanced at his men briefly. "Well, I trust you will remember this as the day that Captain Jack Sparrow _almost _escaped," he said, mocking the pirate from earlier. "Take him away." With that, he turned to walk out, grabbing my arm as he passed me. "Come, Elyse."

I yanked my arm free of his grasp. "No, you go without me. I'll catch up later," I said.

James glared at me. "Elyse, I-"

"Oh, for heaven's sake!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in exasperation. "Can you not let me out of your sight for more than three minutes at a time without having a heart attack? If I can handle fending off a dangerous fugitive like Jack, then I can handle being by myself for a bit."

My brother stared me down for a long time, and I stared straight back, our hazel eyes staying locked on each other for several tense seconds. Finally, he gave in with a sigh. "...See to it that you return home safely," he muttered quietly before briskly walking out with the rest of his men.

I watched them go, and not until the last one had filed out did I turn and face Will, who was trying to rub some of the dirt off of his face. "You're only smearing it around even more, you know," I said with a small smile.

He looked up and chuckled a bit. "Thank you for the help."

"Not a problem," I replied, walking up a bit closer to him. "And for the record, I think you did an excellent job fighting him."

"You think so?"

"Yes," I nodded, stepping past him and reaching down to pick up my own personal sword from where it lay on the ground at his feet. "I wasn't lying when I said I learn from the best, after all."

"Thank you." I stood up again and turned to face him, staring into his warm brown eyes that were so easy to get lost in.

It was silent for a moment before I caught myself. "...Y-You're welcome, Will," I said quickly, hoping he hadn't noticed my slip-up. Neither of us said anything more, so I clicked my tongue. "Well! James will probably have a fit if I'm not home soon, so...I guess I should be going." I stuck my sword in a nearby rack and nodded in farewell to Will as I moved past him and towards the exit. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Elyse," he said, smiling at me before turning and walking off to go find somewhere to clean up. I only lingered in the doorway to watch his retreating form for half a second before exhaling softly and stepping out. _If only a certain governor's daughter wasn't getting in the way. _


	5. The Attack of the Pearl

**A/N: Hey guys! ^^ Sorry about my lack of updating lately, but with the premiere of "The Hobbit" only 20 DAYS AWAY (!), I've been in a LotR mood lately, which consequently has lowered my motivation to keep writing this fic. XD But I'm listening to the CotBP soundtrack right now to get me back into a Pirates kinda mood, so hopefully I'll be able to pick up where I left off pretty well. :) Enjoy this chapter, and thanks so much to those of you who reviewed! :D It makes my day when a review alert pops up in my email. :3**

Hoist the Colors: Book One

Chapter Four

Elyse's POV

Later that afternoon, I met up with Jay to mill about the town and spend time with my best friend (only after I got myself cleaned up from the incident at the smithy, of course). We spent a good majority of the day together, browsing the shops, stopping for lunch, then continuing our casual stroll through the streets of Port Royal, passing by Fort Charles and the open ocean beyond.

It was here that I noticed Jay's attention was drawn away from our conversation and out to the water. This was nothing unusual for her, but I questioned it anyway. "Jay? Is something wrong?"

She shook her head, her bright blue eyes resembling that of a blue jay's feathers flicking over to me for a moment. "No, I was just...wondering."

"About what?"

Now I saw a smile tug at the corners of her lips. "Jack Sparrow, of course. What else?" I laughed a bit, and she continued. "It just...intrigues me. Why is he here? How did he get here in the first place? And he's not with anybody, as far as I can tell, so...why did he come alone? He must've had a purpose for coming here in the first place." I also mused over her questions. "But you've always known about my interest in pirates," she said, finally turning to completely look at me.

I smiled. "And I don't think I've ever met somebody who gets more excited talking about them than you."

She smiled back. "Can you blame me?" A hint of melancholy flashed across her face as she went on, glancing out at the sea again. "After all, they've got the one thing I want most in this world...freedom."

I frowned slightly at the change in her tone, stopping for a moment as we came to a point where you could see a particularly stunning view of the deep blue Caribbean waters. "Jay..." The dark-haired woman turned back to me. "I've always told you that if you ever need to get away from your father, you can come here. You'll always be welcome in my home."

She gave me a small smile, but there was something unreadable about her expression that told me something else was on her mind. "Thank you," she said. Before I could ask her about anything else, though, she started walking again. "When are you supposed to be home, anyway? I thought James wanted you to stay inside for the day."

I noticed how she subtly changed the subject, but didn't push the issue. "He was all right with me going out with you since Jack's behind bars now," I said.

She laughed to herself. "I still can't believe you and Will managed to best him like that."

"Why does everyone seem to think it's impossible for me to handle a sword?" I groaned, rolling my eyes. "I'm starting to think Will's the only one who sees potential in me."

"I'm not saying I doubt your skill," she said, still smiling, "I just didn't think you'd actually ever encounter a pirate and so willingly fight him, especially one so infamous as Jack."

"Well, he was threatening Will," I said matter-of-factly. "I wasn't going to just sit back and watch."

"Good for you," she said, nodding in approval. "Though I still don't see why you think you need to impress him all the time."

I sighed, now looking away. "Because I'm not like Elizabeth," I said quietly, slightly ashamed of myself. "I'm not some gorgeous, wealthy, famous governor's daughter...I'm just Elyse Norrington. And he loves Elizabeth, not Elyse Norrington."

"That doesn't mean you have to become a second Elizabeth, you know," Jay pointed out.

"I know," I said, looking back at her. "I just...I don't know what else I _can_ do. I don't want to be another Elizabeth in his eyes...I'd prefer to be better," I mumbled.

Jay laughed a bit at that. "Well, I think you're fantastic just the way you are." I smiled at her in thanks, and we said nothing more on the subject as we continued to walk along the cliff side.

Despite the fun I had with Jay, however, I couldn't help but notice how stormy and gloomy the sky looked, as well as the wind that still continued to blow rather harshly, or the fog that seemed to be settling in as the sun dipped lower in the sky. Once we split up to return to our respective homes for the evening, I frowned at the ocean. _Odd weather for what used to be such a lovely day._

oOo

Jay's POV

I slouched comfortably back against the wall from where I sat on Elizabeth's cushioned windowsill, staring out at the rest of Port Royal as Estrella, the housemaid, fixed my cousin's blankets on her bed. Elizabeth was ready to retire for the night, but I was still wide awake as I stared out into the darkness, thinking. My thoughts were particularly centered on my father at this point, as well as my reasons for coming to Port Royal. I glanced at Elizabeth momentarily as Estrella turned to prepare a bed warmer for her, clicking my tongue against the roof of my mouth softly. As far as she and Uncle Swann knew, I was here because my father had sent me away to visit with them for a week or so. I smirked slightly as my eyes scanned the thick fog blanketing almost all of Port Royal, thinking about Jack Sparrow's miraculous appearance. _How lucky am I that when I finally decide to put this plan of mine into action, he conveniently arrives on the scene? Now all I have to do is find out where they're keeping him locked up..._

Estrella's voice suddenly caught my attention. "There you go, Miss." I turned my head to see her slide the bed warmer filled with hot coals between her sheets at the foot of Elizabeth's bed. "It was a difficult day for you, I'm sure."

The dirty blonde was paging through a book as she spoke, not entirely focused on the conversation. "I suspected Commodore Norrington would propose, but I must admit, I wasn't entirely prepared for it."

"Well, I meant you being threatened by that pirate," Estrella replied. "Sounds terrifying!"

"Oh! Yes, it was terrifying." I had to smirk a little at that. _Terrifying, indeed._

"But the Commodore proposed!" the maid said, smiling. "Fancy that. Now that's a smart match, Miss, if it's not too bold to say."

Elizabeth nodded, looking up from her book, but not at Estrella. "It is a smart match. He's a fine man...He's what any woman should dream of marrying." I shot her a knowing look, but she didn't catch it.

"Well that Will Turner, he's a fine man, too." Elizabeth and I both looked up at the maid in slight shock from the statement.

"...That _is_ too bold," Elizabeth said lowly.

Estrella nodded, realizing her mistake. "Well, begging your pardon, Miss. It was not my place." Without another word, she left the bedroom, leaving the two of us to be alone.

"...She's right, though," I said after she was gone, "and you know it."

Elizabeth sighed. "My father expects me to marry someone as respected and proper as James, but..." There was a pause before she quietly finished. "...He's not the man I love."

I nodded, but said nothing. Normally I would've advised her to hang the rules and go after Will, but in all honesty, I was more in favor of Will and Elyse becoming a couple than Will and Elizabeth, so I couldn't really tell her what I thought without ruining everything. Neither my cousin nor the blacksmith had any idea that Elyse had fallen for Will, and I knew she would hate me forever if I told them about it (though I admit, I did wish at times that she would just grow a backbone already and talk to Will, at least).

After a few moments of silence, the two of us noticed the oil lamp on Elizabeth's nightstand begin to dim suddenly. She reached over and attempted to turn it up again, but to no avail. The flame disappeared, leaving the room in utter darkness. I frowned. "What was that?" Elizabeth just shook her head, not able to give me an answer.

Suddenly, I heard several dull booms from outside, and I whipped my head back around to look out the window, straightening up and gasping. "Elizabeth!"

"What?" I heard her scrambling to get out of bed, but was unable to tear my eyes away from the scene. "What is it?" She stepped up beside me, and echoed my gasp as we both looked out through the window, which had thankfully remained closed. Bright, blazing fires lit up in various places throughout the town, and flashes of cannon fire could easily be spotted from the ocean, even through the fog. Cannon fire was being returned from up at the fort, but I still couldn't see a ship.

Elizabeth was focused on the fort more than anything else. "Jay, my father! Father's out there at the fort!"

My eyes widened as I grabbed her arm, cutting her off. "Elizabeth, look!" I pointed at the cove. "Out there!" It was difficult to see, but a slight glimpse of a black flag peeking up through the fog was all the confirmation either of us needed, and I looked at her. "Pirates," I breathed.

Just as she was about to respond, several growls and shouts could be heard from below, and I looked down to see several of them running towards the mansion, torches alight in their hands. "Jay!" Elizabeth gasped fearfully. "Why are they here? What do we do?"

I yanked her back from the window and into the dark of her room, where we couldn't be seen. "They're pirates, Elizabeth! Why do you think they're here? Run!" The two of us bolted from her room, and I led her out towards the staircase that led down to the foyer. _If we can get out the back door before they get here, then-_

Too late. There were loud bangs from the other side of the double doors as the pirates knocked on it, demanding entry. I skidded to a stop at the top of the staircase, Elizabeth just behind me. A butler approached the door, preparing to open it. "DON'T!" Elizabeth shouted from behind me.

Too late. The man opened the door and was greeted with the sight of five pirates, with their balding leader pulling out his pistol. "'Ello, chum." The resounding _bang _of a shot rang out, and the butler fell backwards, dead before he hit the ground. Elizabeth let out a scream a split second before I could cover her mouth to shut her up.

Too late. She'd been heard, and I tensed as the pirate who'd shot the butler spied us both. "Up there!"

"Girls!" Another one from behind him shouted. The small group of dirty misfits swarmed into the house, and I scrambled back into the nearest room, pulling Elizabeth in with me before quickly shutting the door and locking it. My heart raced as I heard them come pounding up the stairs.

Suddenly, a hand clamped down on my shoulder from behind, and I jumped, whirling around with a fist ready to punch a pirate in the face – but it wasn't a pirate. Estrella flinched as I just barely stopped myself from hitting her square in the nose. "Miss Janette?" Her eyes then flicked to Elizabeth, who she grabbed by the fabric of her dress in a panic. "Miss Swann! They've come to kidnap you!"

Elizabeth frowned. "What?"

"You're the governor's daughter!" she explained in a rushed whisper. Realization dawned on Elizabeth's face, and I started scanning the room for anything to use as a weapon. Someone slammed against the door, trying to break in, and I instantly wished that I wasn't wearing a dress so that I could easily go into hand-to-hand combat if needed.

As I ran around the room, trying to find something heavy enough to hit with, I heard Elizabeth giving the maid instructions. "Listen, Estrella, they haven't seen you. Hide, and the first chance you get, run to the fort!" I turned around again, at a loss for weapons, and followed Elizabeth as she dashed for the side door leading into her bedroom. "Come on!" she hissed, the two of us slipping out of sight and around the wall just as the door to the other room gave way.

I immediately spotted the bed warmer, still wedged in between the sheets, and hurried over to rip it out. Once I had it, I ran back to the entrance to Elizabeth's room, getting there just in time to swing it out and slam it directly into the head of the short, bald man who'd tried to sneak around the corner. "Elizabeth, go!" I shouted over my shoulder as another pirate, this one a tall, gangly man with short blonde hair stepping up to me. I tried to hit him, too, but he managed to grab onto the handle of the bed warmer as well, stopping me mid-swing.

I noticed he had a fake eye in one socket, and he wriggled it around to scare me. "Gotcha!" he cried. It was obvious that I wasn't going to best him in strength, so I settled for kicking him in the shin, making him grunt in pain. In his moment of distraction, I clamped my hand down over the lever that opened the lid of the bed warmer's pan, raining burning hot coals down onto him in an instant. "No! No! It's hot! You burned me!" I dropped the bed warmer as he tried to bat them away and ran out after Elizabeth, who had headed back out towards the foyer.

My cousin had already started heading down the stairs, and I saw Estrella dash out the front door after shrieking in fear from seeing the butler's dead body on the ground. Suddenly, Elizabeth stopped just as I reached the stairs of the foyer, and I saw her trapped between the same two pirates on the staircase. Without hesitating, I ran forward and swung my fist at the shorter pirate, my fist cracking against his skull and making him stumble to the side. The taller one saw me and made to grab Elizabeth, but I pulled her behind me and kicked him in his soft spot before jumping over the stair's railing and landing on my feet. Elizabeth was two steps behind me, and we both just missed being crushed by a chandelier falling from the ceiling before ducking into the dining room and slamming the doors shut. Elizabeth then grabbed a metal candelabra and wedged it over the two knobs to keep it shut.

I paused for a moment to catch my breath, then looked up as Elizabeth sped past me, reaching up to grab two crossed swords mounted in a decorative metal piece on the wall. For a moment, I thought we'd been saved, but she was unable to get them out, only succeeding in completely ripping the mount off of the wall and nearly dropping it on her foot. There was a bang on the door, and I spotted a flash of silver on the table – a knife! I grabbed it, but frowned instantly. It was a butter knife, with a round point that wouldn't help us at all. With a frustrated growl, I dropped it on the table again and did the last thing I could think of. "Come on!" I whispered to my cousin, quickly throwing open the doors of a large cabinet on the floor and shoving her inside, pulling myself in soon after. I closed the doors just a few seconds before I heard the pirates break through and laid a hand on Elizabeth's shoulder, both of us trying to remain as still as possible to avoid making noise by moving the china we were sitting on.

There was a space between the two doors, and I prayed desperately that it wasn't enough to give us away as I listened to the two creep around the room. One of them – it sounded like the shorter one – spoke, calling out to us like we were dogs. "We know you're 'ere, poppets..."

"Poppets..." the other pirate echoed. My mind raced, every bit of information I knew about pirates coming back to me as I tried to desperately form a plan of action in the event that they'd catch us. _Think, Jay, think!_

"Come out..." the short one called again, "and we promise we won't hurt you." I could've laughed. _Not likely. _"We will find you, poppets...You've got something of ours, and it calls to us." There was a pause. "The gold calls to us."

"Gold calls..." the second pirate echoed again.

Elizabeth glanced down in recognition, and I also followed her gaze to see her pull out the pirate medallion from where it still hung around her neck as she rubbed her thumb over it, holding it in the sliver of light that spilled into the box. _So that's what they want...but why? _

Suddenly, the light disappeared, and we both raised our eyes to see a single, yellowed green one. "'Ello, poppets."

The doors were swung open, and I instantly spat out the first word that came to mind. "Parley!"

Both of the scraggly men turned to me, surprised at hearing the word. "What?" the shorter one spat.

"Parley," I said again, now a bit more sure of myself. _This could actually end up working to my advantage. _"We invoke the right of parley!" I took a breath, then continued, reciting the facts that I knew so well. "According to the Code of the Brethren, set down by the captains Morgan and Bartholomew, you must take us to your captain!"

"I know the Code!" the short man growled at me, lunging forward a bit.

I noticed that he still had his pistol pointed at us. "And if someone demands parley, then you can do them no harm until the parley is complete."

"To blazes with the Code!" shouted the taller man. He looked ready to run us through, but was stopped by the balding pirate in front of him.

"They want to be taken to the captain!" he hissed dangerously. Then he turned back to us, a sarcastically sweet smile coming to his face. "And they'll go without a fuss. We must honor the Code."

I nodded in agreement, and the taller pirate grabbed my arm, pulling me out. The second man yanked Elizabeth out afterwards, and our arms were quickly pinned behind our backs as they pressed us forward, leading us out of the mansion and into town.

As we moved along, side by side, Elizabeth shot me a bewildered look. "Are you mad?" she whispered. "Now we've been captured!"

"Just wait," I replied firmly, my mind already forming a plan. I wasn't as concerned with getting Elizabeth out of this – that would be easy, if I played my cards right. I was mainly thinking about what I was going to say for myself once we got on board the pirate ship. _It'll take a lot of convincing on my part...but as long as neither of us say anything stupid, I think it could work. After all, I'm no one that would be valuable to them in any other way..._

"Come on!" cried the one holding Elizabeth when she stumbled a bit.

All of a sudden, I heard Elizabeth let out a gasp from beside me. "Will!" I looked up to see the young blacksmith in the streets of the chaotic town, eyes widening in fear as he spotted us. For a moment, it looked like he was coming after us, but before long we were dragged through a large group of people, our view of him cut off. Elizabeth looked over at me, seeming somewhat relieved. "Jay, he's coming to save us!"

I glanced back as we pushed through the crowd of people, cringing when I saw Will again, now appearing to lay unconscious in the road. Soon enough, we were down at the docks, completely unable to see the town, and I shot Elizabeth a grim look. "I wouldn't count on it."

**A/N: Just to tell you all: I understand that Jay's rambling probably doesn't make much sense to you now. Don't worry, it's supposed to be like that. ;) All will be revealed in due time.**

**Don't forget to review! **


	6. Negotiations and Promises

**A/N: Hey! :D Sorry about a the short hiatus, you guys. I meant to upload this chapter on Tuesday, but then I ended up watching a livestream of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey's red carpet movie premiere in Wellington, New Zealand! :D I watched it for about two hours...two hours that were very well-spent. ;) It was awesome! A bunch of friends and I are going to go see it when it premieres on Dec. 14th in my hometown, so I'm really excited! Anyone else looking forward to it? :3 (Besides you, MisticLight. XD I know you're just as pumped for it as I am lol.) And then I've also been having three-hour-long practices almost every single night for a Christmas program I'm doing at my church this coming Sunday...add schoolwork into the mix, and you've got a recipe for disaster. XD I'm trying to update as often as I can, though, so bear with me! Hopefully it won't be this hectic after the program's over with.**

**On with the fic! **

Hoist the Colors: Book One

Chapter Five

Jay's POV

The thick smog that blanketed the cove gave our longboats the ability to slip back up to the pirate's ship unseen, the loud booming of cannon fire from Fort Charles slowly growing duller the further we went out. No one said a word as we rowed through the cove, though the look on Elizabeth's face told me that I'd definitely be getting an earful from her later for my actions. I wasn't concerned about her, though. I was more worried about what exactly I was going to say when the captain came to speak with us. I didn't know all of what these pirates were capable of, nor did I know their experience in negotiating with others. I'd have to give it my best if I wanted to impress them and get on their good side...that at least was certain.

I was torn from my thoughts as the prow of our intended destination suddenly sliced through the darkness of the night, the figure of a beautiful, crying woman with soulless eyes carved out at the head of the ship. As more and more of it appeared through the fog, I sucked in a breath, awed by what lay before me. It was made entirely out of pitch-black wood, with battle scars visible here and there to show its history on the sea. Black, tattered sails hung from the masts high in the air, and lanterns were scattered about the ship, casting eerie shadows everywhere. The moon was no longer visible from any angle, and the ship in itself gave off a very intimidating and unwelcome feeling...but it only sparked curiosity in me instead of fear. As the longboat carrying Elizabeth and I pulled up alongside the ship's hull, I turned and lightly touched my cousin's arm. "Just let me handle this," I whispered. She only glared at me in response.

The longboat was quickly raised up above the deck rail, and I clambered over the edge, standing tall and proud when my feet safely hit the deck. One pirate stepped up and offered Elizabeth a hand to help her up, which she gratefully took. I looked around, studying the faces of the crewmen who'd gathered around us, noting that while they all had the same general scraggly, unclean, ruthless appearance, there were several key things that made them stick out from all others.

One of them had a confused expression on his face as he looked us over. "I didn't know we was takin' on captives!" he said. He was an incredibly large African man with well-defined muscles and dots of what looked like raised skin around his eyes and trailing all over his neck and bare torso, save for a few accessories he wore. I noticed Elizabeth subconsciously pull her dressing gown tighter about herself under the pirates' rather lustful stares. They way they eyes us bothered me as well, I'll admit, but I refused to let it show.

The shorter balding man (whose name, I'd learned, was Pintel) nodded his head in my direction. "She's invoked the right of parley with Cap'n Barbossa!" Murmurs rippled through the crows at this.

"Then what's she doin' 'ere?" the same man asked, referring to Elizabeth.

I didn't expect the outburst that came from my cousin next. She angrily strode forward towards the huge man, glaring harshly at him. "We are here to negotiate the-"

My jaw dropped slightly as the man smacked her hard in the face, cutting her off. As Elizabeth stepped back and cradled her cheek, I was badly tempted to lunge forward and give the pirate a taste of his own medicine, but I only clenched my teeth and swallowed my anger. I knew that nothing good could come out of starting a fight with the whole crew surrounding us.

"You will speak when spoken to!" the man spat at her.

Suddenly, a new pirate stepped forward and clamped his hand tightly around the still-raised wrist of he who had slapped Elizabeth. "And ye'll not lay a hand on those under the protection of parley."

"Aye, sir." The big man lowered his arm with a nod, and I glanced at this new character, sizing him up. Obviously he was the captain, as he would not have been addressed and obeyed in such a way if he didn't have authority over the others. The oversized hat with an equally large feather jutting out of it was also a dead giveaway. A dirty, thin beard covered his chin with a mustache to match, and his aged eyes were a muted shade of blue. I also saw that he had a dark-haired monkey, fully clad in pirate attire, sitting atop his shoulder. _Hmm. Curious._

He looked back to Elizabeth and smiled, revealing a set of silver and gold teeth behind thin lips. "My apologies, Miss."

"Captain Barbossa," I said, stepping forward a bit to draw attention to myself. He looked to me, and I went on. "I am here to negotiate."

He nodded once, but did not seem to be taking me seriously at all. "And what be yer request?"

I kept my tone even and firm as I stared straight at him. "We are to remain unharmed and treated fairly at all times."

Barbossa raised an eyebrow at this. "Define 'fairly.'"

"We are to be given our own private cabin to share," I said. "_None _of the men, yourself included, are to make any advances on us of any sort, and we are to be well-fed."

He took a step forward, an amused look still in his eye. "And what would we be getting' in return?" he asked, gesturing to the crew.

I didn't hesitate for a second, my answer confident and clear. "We will remain on the ship for as long as you want us and will not cause any sort of trouble...and I, at least, am willing to help wherever needed as far as maintaining the ship is concerned."

There were several surprised looks and whispers through the crowd of pirates at this, but Elizabeth was the only one who openly spoke against it. "Absolutely not! What on Earth are you thinking?!" She gripped my arm fiercely and tried to force me to look at her, but I held my ground.

Barbossa only chuckled softly as I continued to stare at him, then dropped his voice to a lower, smug tone. "What makes ye think that I'll be wanting to accept those terms? I've no room for a couple of wenches on me ship."

I bit back a sharp retort at the word 'wenches,' reminding myself to remain composed and not react to his attacks. "Oh, I think you do," I replied smoothly. "If you had no use for us, then your lackeys over there-" I motioned to Pintel and the taller one, Ragetti "-would've killed us instead of respecting the rules of parley." Now it was I who shifted forward slightly, forcing Barbossa to step back a bit in the process to keep sufficient space between us. "You want something from us." I looked at Elizabeth and pointed to the medallion that still hung around her neck. "You want that."

All eyes were suddenly on my younger cousin, and I desperately hoped that she was catching on to my plan. Again, the reactions of the other men could be heard when they spotted the medallion, and even Barbossa's smug look disappeared for a fraction of a second before he regained it and smirked again. "Me holds are burstin' with swag," he said sarcastically, shooting amused looks at the others.

Suddenly, Elizabeth spoke up again. "Very well, then!" Before anyone could stop her, she ripped the pendant from her neck, moved to the railing, and dangled the gold necklace over the edge of the boat, threatening to toss it into the sea. "I'll drop it!"

Barbossa still looked unimpressed by her. "Ye think that bit o' shine matters to us?" His tone suddenly became more...apprehensive, almost. "...Why?"

"It's what you've been searching for!" Elizabeth said. "I recognize this ship; I saw it eight years ago on the crossing from England."

"Did ya, now?" Elizabeth glared at the captain, suddenly realizing that she was getting nowhere.

I tried to intervene. "If she drops it, you know that medallion is as good as lost," I said lowly. "You'll never get it back. Perhaps you should consider that in your calculations." Barbossa's eyes flicked from me to Elizabeth, and I could tell he was thinking long and hard about something, though I wasn't sure what.

However, the tense silence was shortly broken by Elizabeth again, and I could've smacked her across the other side of her face for what she said next. "Fine, then. If you refuse to allow us to restate our terms, and it is so _worthless_ to you, then I suppose there's no point in me keeping it." She let it drop, but then quickly caught the end of the chain in her hand once more, causing every pirate on the deck to lunge forward with gasps of fear. Elizabeth's brow arched, and her mouth formed a perfect 'O' at her discovery, but I was fearful of what she would say next.

I was prepared to turn things around again, but Barbossa then stepped past me and towards my cousin, who now held the medallion safely in her hand. He smiled tightly at her, chuckling again, then looked at the both of us. "...Ye have names, Missies?"

"Elizabeth...T-Turner." I showed no physical reaction to her use of a false name, though internally I was wondering why she'd picked Will's surname to us, of all the names in the world. "I'm a maid in the governor's household." She curtsied slightly.

Barbossa's eyes widened slightly as she spoke, then looked to me expectantly. I understood Elizabeth's choice to use an alibi, as she was the governor's daughter, but I wasn't anyone important in society, so I had no reason to lie to them. "Janette Lachence," I said. "Her cousin."

The captain of misfits smiled and turned to his crew, who all shared the same devious looks on their faces. "Misses _Turner _and _Lachence_, lads..." Whispers broke out amongst the men once more, though I couldn't catch what was being said, but they seemed to take a particular interest in us all of a sudden. Elizabeth and I shared nervous glances before Barbossa turned back to Elizabeth. "And what be yer new terms?"

Before I could say anything, Elizabeth spat out "I want you to leave Port Royal immediately and not come back." Alarms went off wildly in my head as I realized what she'd done. _No! Not that! Why did you say that?!_

I jumped in, hoping I could salvage at least some of my hard work. "But we are still not to be harmed or mistreated in any way at all," I said quickly.

Barbossa looked at us one final time before smiling a bit and holding out his open hand. "Very well. You hand it over, and we'll put your town to our rudder and ne'er return. And we shall keep ye in good condition as well," he said with a pointed look at me.

I could've screamed when my cousin actually did drop the medallion into the pirate captain's palm. "Our bargain?"

Barbossa walked away from her, then nodded to the large African man, who quickly began shouting out orders and scattering the crew about the ship. "Still the guns and stow 'em! Signal the men, set the flags and make good to clear port!"

Suddenly, Elizabeth realized the major flaw in her plan. She ran after Barbossa, and a reluctantly followed behind, knowing where this was headed. "Wait! You have to take us to shore! According to the Code of the Order of the Brethren-"

Barbossa turned on his heel halfway up to the poop deck and caused us both to jerk to a stop, all signs of hospitality and compassion now gone. "First, your return to shore was not part of our negotiations nor our agreement, so I 'must' do nothin'. And secondly, you must be a pirate for the pirate's code to apply, and you're not. And thirdly, the Code is more what you'd call...'guidelines' than actual rules." He sneered at us. "Welcome aboard the _Black Pearl, _Misses Turner and Lachence!" He turned forward again and stalked up the last set of stairs, ending the conversation.

"Now look what you've done," I muttered, glaring at my cousin. She just stared off into space, open-mouthed in shock as a response.

A second later, I heard a familiar voice from beside us. "Miss Lachence." I turned to see Pintel standing on the deck, looking up at us with a wicked grin. "Yer room's this way." He walked away without waiting for us to catch up, and I cast one last glare back over my shoulder at Elizabeth before following the stout pirate closely. _At least it's a comfort that we won't be locked away in the brig._

oOo

Will's POV

I opened my eyes, immediately shut them again, and then blinked several times against the blindingly bright sunlight. My back ached, my muscles were sore, and my head throbbed with a dull pain, but I was still alive. After lifting my head slightly and looking around, I groaned and pushed myself up into a sitting position, my brow creasing in confusion when I saw that I had been lying out in the middle of the dirt road with chickens running around at my feet. The town was in ruins, and people were scrambling about everywhere trying to clean things up. _What in the world happened here?_

Suddenly, I remembered. Bits and pieces of the chaos from last night flashed across my mind sporadically. _Pirates invaded Port Royal...they terrorized the citizens...I went out to fight them._ I tensed when I recalled one thing in particular. _Elizabeth...Elizabeth and Jay were captured! _Instantly I jumped to my feet, shook off the slight dizziness that followed, and broke into a run, aiming for Fort Charles with only one thing in mind. _They're in danger. __She's__ in danger. She must be rescued! _I bolted through the streets of the town, dodging any who got in my way and hoping I was not too late.

It didn't take me long to reach the massive stone fortress at the speed I was going. I ran right into the open-walled room where Norrington was bent over a table with a large map spread across it and a few other items pushed out to the edges. Several of the Navy men were standing around him, as were Governor Swann and Elyse. I glanced up at her briefly before I spoke. "They've taken her. They've taken Elizabeth!"

All eyes were drawn to me, and Elyse quickly walked to my side once she spotted me. "Will!" she gasped. "Thank heavens you're all right! I was so worried-"

"Mr. Murtogg, remove this man," her older brother said flatly, cutting her off.

While I didn't want to be rude and simply brush Elyse aside, there were more important matters at hand. "We have to hunt them down," I said urgently. "We must save her!"

"And where do you propose we start?" Governor Swann snapped as he spun sharply on his heel to look at me. His voice was tight with worry. "If you have any information concerning my daughter, please share it!" My shoulders slumped a bit, and I looked down, silently admitting that I knew no more than they.

It was silent for a moment until one of the soldiers – Murtogg, I assume – spoke up. "...That Jack Sparrow. He talked about the _Black Pearl_."

Another man nearby corrected him. "Mentioned it, is more what he did."

Either way, it was enough to give me hope. "Ask him where it is," I said instantly. "Make a deal with him; he could lead us to it!"

"Will..." Elyse quietly whispered.

"No," Norrington said firmly. I glowered at the man as he explained. "The pirates who invaded this fort left Sparrow locked in his cell; ergo, they are not his allies." He then turned to Elizabeth's father. "Governor, we will establish their most likely course-"

_NO! _Out of anger, I ripped my hatchet from my belt and slammed it down into the table, the sharp blade cutting through the map and burying itself in the wood. "That's not good enough!" I shouted, glaring openly at him now. _Don't they understand? Elizabeth's life is at stake!_

Norrington let out an annoyed sigh and removed my hatchet from his table, then walked over to me. "Mr. Turner! You are not a military man. You are not a sailor. You are a _blacksmith_, and this is not the moment for rash actions." He grabbed my arm and pulled me several steps away from the others, speaking lowly and shooting me a challenging look that I pretended to ignore. "Do not make the mistake of thinking you are the only man here who cares for Elizabeth."

Now I met his gaze, slightly thrown off by the statement. _...What? Since when does he?..._ I felt him press the hatchet back into my grasp and watched him walk back to his desk, my mind already spinning to concoct a plan. After a few seconds, I turned and left the room, already knowing exactly where to go. _Hopefully he doesn't seriously think I'm going to listen to him._

OOo

Elyse's POV

I watched Will's face harden into a determined expression as he stalked off, then looked back at my brother. I had to agree with him on this one, at least. We needed to take a more practical route if we were going to save Elizabeth and Jay. Oh, how I worried for Jay. In the back of my mind, I knew she'd be able to handle herself just fine amongst the pirates, but I was still afraid for her life. After all, who knows what they might try and do to her? I mentally shuddered just to think about it.

"...James," I said after a moment, getting my brother's attention as he ran his finger over the mark Will's hatchet had left in the table. "I'm going to go." I nodded towards the door.

"Absolutely not," he said quickly. "Stay here."

I was already walking away, though. "Why? There's nothing dangerous going on out there anymore. I'll be back soon, James, don't worry." Without another word, I gathered the pale blue skirt of my casual, slim dress and took off, my eyes still on Will's retreating form. "Will!" I called after him. "WILL!"

He stopped and turned around just as I reached him, a stern look still on his face, but I hugged him anyway. "Elyse," he said, and I was surprised at how relieved he sounded. "I'm sorry I didn't talk to you inside. I'm glad you're still here and not hurt." He then pushed me out of the hug, concern on his face as he looked me over. "You're not, are you?"

I smiled a bit, my stomach tingling at the fact that he was worried about me. "No, Will. I'm fine." My eyes traced the scratches and smears of dirt on his face, and I shot him a knowing look. "You went out to fight the pirates, didn't you?"  
He also smiled at this, which made mine grow a bit wider. "Of course I did. You know I would never remain inside. Where were you last night?"

"Barricaded in our house," I said. "Thankfully, it wasn't raided at all." I changed the subject after than, curious as to what was going on. "Where are you going?"

"Down to the cell they're keeping Sparrow in," he said without a moment's hesitation. He turned to leave, but I stopped him by grabbing his shoulder.

"What?" I exclaimed. "Why?"  
"He's got to know something about the ship, Elyse. Think about it." Will locked eyes with me. "It's the best chance I have of finding Elizabeth."

The tone of his voice when he spoke about her dimmed my spirits internally, but I brushed it aside. "Will, no! You have no idea what you're getting yourself into! He's a pirate! I certainly wouldn't trust him!"

"It's the only option, Elyse," he said gently. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. If I can make a deal with him, then-"

"Will, _please_." I stopped him from leaving again, looking up at him with sincerity. "Think about the danger you're putting yourself in. There's honestly not that likely of a chance that this will even work...and what if it does? Are you really going to just drop everything and go on some adventure with a man you don't even know? What if he tricks you and you end up getting killed?" I hesitated before adding in another thought. "...I understand how you feel, but I don't think it's worth you risking your life for."

His soft brown eyes hardened at this. "If I don't go, then who will? Your brother?" I cringed slightly at his venomous words. "This is serious, Elyse."

"I realized that," I said softly. "I just...I don't want you going off on some wild goose chase that you won't return from. You know that I care for you, Will. Please rethink this."

He didn't answer right away, but when he did, I was still disappointed. "I'm sorry," he repeated, "but...I'm going."

I bit my lip, not wanting to speak what was on my mind. _It's a ridiculous idea...just plain stupid, really...but I don't want him getting involved with pirates alone..._ "...All right, on one condition."

"And that is?"

"Take me with you."

His eyebrows shot up a bit at this, then fell back down into a frown. "No," he said firmly. "You stay here."

"And let you go gallivanting off to bargain with some lunatic pirate? Not on your life," I shot back. "It worried me enough when I didn't find you in the smithy earlier this morning. There's no way I'm letting you go alone now."

He looked at me seriously. "You can't be serious, Elyse. Your brother will have my head if he finds out."

"Well then I guess that means he's never going to find out," I replied. Will rolled his eyes and tried to remain stern, but I could tell he was fighting back a smile. "Look, I don't want to leave you to do this on your own. You know I can defend myself well enough if need be." _And I'd prefer not to be left behind while you go off to try and win Elizabeth's heart...again. _"Besides, I'm not someone of importance anyway. If worst comes to worst, then...Port Royal can manage without me for a day or two."

Will looked down, and at first I thought I'd said something wrong, but then I realized he was fiddling with something in his pocket. Recognition dawned on him, and he looked back at me. "Oh! I almost forgot! You left it in the shop again." He pulled out my white stone pendant and held it out to me, smiling a bit. "You seem to forget about this a lot."

I laughed quietly. "Yes, it appears that I do. Thank you." I reached out and took it from his hand, studying it for several seconds before looking back at Will curiously. "...Actually...why don't you keep it?"

His eye widened a bit. "Elyse, I couldn't. It's your favorite necklace!"

"Well, obviously you've done a better job of keeping it safe than I have," I said with a smile. "And honestly, I...I think it fits you better anyway." I hoped he couldn't see the faint blush beginning to creep up my neck. _That sounded so incredibly cliché. Why did I say that?_

If Will noticed it, he didn't say anything. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," I nodded, pausing as another idea came to mind. "...And I'm going to give you this with a promise, William Turner." He looked at me expectantly, so I went on. "A promise that no matter what happens..." I reached up and looped it over his head, desperately hoping that I wasn't being to bold and making a fool of myself. "...I'll always be on your side and remain loyal to you." He met my gaze again, and I stared deeply into his dark eyes. "And only you," I added quietly.

He simply stared back at me for what seemed like the longest time, clasping the charm in his right hand. "...Thank you."

I merely smiled back at him. "Keep it safe."

"I will." There was another short span of silence before he cleared his throat and stepped back a bit. "I should go down to see Jack now."

I nodded, wishing the moment could've lasted longer. "Can I come with you, then?"

Will looked at me again for a moment, thinking long and hard. Finally, he sighed. "You're too good at persuading others." I beamed. "Come on."

**A/N: Again, I apologize for the random hiatus. D: I'll try not to let it happen again, I promise! I guess you could say that this longer chapter made up for that. :) Have a good rest of the week, you guys! Hopefully we'll meet again in a couple days! :D Don't forget to review!**

**~Erin**


	7. Secrets Revealed

Hoist the Colors: Book One

Chapter Six

Jay's POV

I winced a bit as Elizabeth angrily slammed the door to our small, but still comfortable cabin below the deck of the _Pearl_. It was obvious that she was in a foul mood because of me, made all the more clear by her burning glare and clipped tone. "What were you _thinking_?!" she hissed. "Do you realize what you've done? We could've gotten away and taken back home! What in the name of God's green earth made you think it was smart to try and bargain your way into living with pirates? 'We'll remain on the ship as long as you want, Captain.'" I rolled my eyes at her mocking impersonation of me. "Of all the ridiculous, idiotic, completely and utterly insane ideas-"

Now I'd finally had enough. I spun sharply and met her gaze with an icy stare of my own. "Don't you think you're being a tad bit over dramatic, Lizzie?"  
"O...Over dramatic?" She stared at me like I had grown another limb. "Jay, you just made a deal with pirates that got us bound to remain prisoners on this ship!"

"No," I said sternly, "_you_ did. If I remember correctly, which I'm sure I do, I seem to recall you very stupidly agreeing to the terms of them leaving Port Royal behind without returning us to shore."  
"I'm sorry," she said sarcastically. "Forgive me for making a mistake in the midst of my panic."

"But that's exactly it!" I said, exasperated. "You can't afford to make mistakes with pirates, Elizabeth. _We _can't afford it. You've got to be specific and always make sure there are absolutely no loopholes in your plans, otherwise the pirates will use them to their advantage." I let out a breath of frustration and stepped back a bit. "And now, thanks to you, we have lost the only piece of leverage we had against them."

Elizabeth's anger faded from her eyes slightly, but some of it still remained. "...Well, I assumed that they'd have no further use of us now, since they have the medallion. What else would they need us for?"

"Lizzie, they're pirates," I deadpanned. "What do you think they'll do to us? We could be marooned, held for ransom, bartered to some sleazy man in exchange for whatever treasure they're after next..." I trailed off, sitting down on the small bed and staring at the floor.

It was silent for awhile before my cousin spoke again. "But we won't be here for much longer, will we? After all, the entire Navy's likely out looking for us at the moment." I heard her cross the room and glanced up to see her peering out of the small porthole embedded in our wall. "And Will, I'm sure, would be with them."

My gaze also softened. "That sounded more hopeful that confident."

She sighed and didn't speak for awhile again. "...Do you think he'll come?"  
"I don't know," I said. "I'm sure he'll try, but...honestly, I doubt there's much he can do. He is a blacksmith, after all." I wasn't saying it to be insulting to Will, I was just stating the truth. He hardly had any influence or authority in society, so it would be difficult for him to be able to rescue us single-handedly. My thoughts then switched to Elyse, and a slight frown pulled at my lips as I realized how worried sick she must've been upon hearing that I'd been kidnapped. _Would she try anything?...No. Elyse never goes out on adventures._

Elizabeth's voice brought me back to reality again. "...Jay...Are we going to be all right?"  
I looked up and looked at her. She also watched me expectantly.The somber look on my face seemed enough of a response for her, and her face dimmed when she realized the severity of the situation. I sat unmoving for a few minutes, finally deciding to break the tension by getting up and leaving the room. I cast one last subtle glance over my shoulder at the panic-stricken Elizabeth who still stood by the window, a pang of guilt stabbing my heart for scaring my cousin as I had, but...it was the bitter truth. I wasn't about to lie to her when I didn't know any answers.

I continued on my way out and quietly shut the door behind me, stifling a scream and jumping nearly ten feet in the air when a hand clamped down on my shoulder. I dropped my hand from where I'd clapped it over my mouth and stared at Barbossa bitterly for the scare.

"My apologies, Miss Lachence," he said, cracking a fake smile for a moment before removing his hand from my shoulder. "I'd like a word with ye."

Instantly, I was on my guard, prepared to be on the alert in case he tried anything. I nodded slowly, not saying a word, and followed him down the dark corridor. He kept a calm, collected composure as we walked, but it disappeared in an instant once we reached the darkest end of the short hallway as he suddenly grabbed me by the shoulder and threw me around the corner, shoving me back and pinning me up against the wall with his arm firmly pressed across my neck.

I will admit, I was startled by his harsh movements, but then I reminded myself that I was basically his prisoner now. He wasn't going to be that gentle. "What do you want?" I spat, still able to breathe and speak clearly from where I was pinned back.

His response was almost instantaneous. "Yer not like yer cousin at all, missy." His eyes glittered with curiosity, which surprised me. I had expected him to be more threatening. "And yer also a lyin' wench."

I frowned at the accusation. "I'm sorry? I've said nothing but the truth to you since I set foot on this ship."

He cursed quietly and pressed me harder up against the wall. "Don't try and fool me, Jay. Yer not a Lachence, and ye know it."

I didn't answer for a moment, confused. "...Yes...yes, I am."

"No, yer not!" Barbossa insisted. "Ye can't be a Lachence if you're the cousin of Miss Turner." He paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "...I knew her father. He was an only child!"

Physically, I gave no reaction, but on the inside I blanched. _Oh, no! He's right! Will doesn't have any aunts or uncles! _But then a whole new set of questions spawned in my mind. _Wait...how did he know Will's father? _

Before I could say anything in return, the pirate captain said something that disturbed me even more. "And besides..." he smirked a bit. "You know the Lachence's aren't yer true parents."

"What?!" I couldn't help myself from exclaiming out of shock. "What on earth are you talking about?"

Barbossa's eyes suddenly widened in realization, and he chuckled lowly. "Ahh...does the young missy not know the story?"

"What story?" I knew I wasn't thinking about what I was saying, but at the moment, I didn't care. I narrowed my eyes at him dangerously. "You're lying. You couldn't possibly know-"

"It be wise to trust me on this one," he smirked again, cutting me off, "for it appears that I know more than you do on the matter."

I frowned. "And I suppose you're not going to tell me anything, are you?"

"Yer a smart one, I'll give ye that." I glared at him, but Barbossa had already changed the topic. "Now onto a more important matter." Here I saw the confusion return to his eyes. "I said that ye weren't like yer 'cousin' at all." I nodded, prompting him to go on. "She fears us. I can tell. But you..." he hesitated. "...Yer different," he said quietly. "...Why don't ye fear us?"

I blinked, then smiled to myself, sensing his insecurity. _I guess he's not used to people being able to stand up to him...especially not a woman. _"Simple. I find pirates more fascinating than terrifying. I always have."

"But you've been kidnapped!" he said, not following me. "Why does that not bother ye?"

_It does, actually. _"Because I know how to handle myself perfectly well," I answered. "I'm not an idiot. You said so yourself." Now it was my turn to pause and think carefully about my word choice before continuing. "...And no one's ever stopped me from having an interest in piracy before."

I wondered if Barbossa understood the meaning of my last sentence, but judging by his reaction, I assumed not. I could've sworn that he muttered something along the lines of 'just like her mother' under his breath, which reminded me of his accusation from earlier, but he cut me off again. "Yer a tough one to figure out, Jay." He stared me down for a moment longer before releasing his hold on me and stepping back. "Now get back to yer room."

I was about to ignore him and start pressuring him for information about what he meant by the whole idea of my parents, but bit my tongue at the last second and merely nodded to him before walking off. _I can't keep pushing him, or I'll never learn anything. I've got to get on his good side first, and then subtly squeeze the information out of him. _Once I slipped back into the small cabin I now called home, I went directly to bed, ignoring Elizabeth's questions about where I'd gone and what was wrong. All I could think about was what Barbossa had said, and my thoughts were completely shaken up, leaving me to lie awake for nearly an hour without successfully falling asleep like I'd planned. _What does he know about my parents? _

_ ….Who __**are**__ my parents?_

oOo

Elyse's POV

I quickly followed Will down the steps that led into the dungeon, taking care not to trip on my skirt and make a fool of myself. I faintly heard someone spit out a whispered curse and some scuffling noises as we came to the landing, and my eyes immediately landed on Sparrow when Will and I emerged into the room. The pirate was sprawled out on his back, feet crossed, and appeared to me studying his fingernails. Then I spotted the broken, splintered remains of a bone wedged in the cell's lock and raised an eyebrow bemusedly at him, piecing two and two together.

"You! Sparrow!" Will strode directly up to the other man's cell, and I followed suit.

"Aye?" Jack didn't even look up at us.

"You're familiar with that ship; the _Black Pearl_?"

Trying to play it cool, Jack waited a moment before answering. "...I've heard of it."

Will wasted no time in beating around the bush. "Where does it make berth?"

"Where does it make berth?" Now Jack raised his head and leaned up a little bit. "Have you not heard the stories?" I shook my head a bit in response, to which he rolled his eyes. "_Captain_ Barbossa and his crew of miscreants sail from the dreaded Isla de Muerta. It's an island that cannot be found except by those who already know where it is."

"Are you implying that you are one such man?" I asked.

Jack's dark eyes stared into my hazel ones for a moment, and again he played hard-to-get. "Maybe I do...maybe I don't." He cracked a smirk at this. "What's it to you two? Want to turn pirates yourselves, eh?"

"Never!" Will spat instantly. When Jack looked to him for explanation, Will looked away, embarrassed to speak the truth. "...They took Miss Swann," he said quickly.

Jack smiled knowingly. "Oh, so it is that you've found a girl!" He glanced to me, a look of sympathy briefly flashing over his face. "So sorry, love." Now it was my turn to look down as I felt a blush creep up my neck. "Well boy, if you're intending to brave all, hasten to her rescue, and so win fair lady's heart...you'll have to do it alone, mate. I see no profit in it for me."

"I can get you out of here," Will bargained.

I looked back at Jack, who now was eying the blacksmith with interest. "How's that? The key's run off."

"I helped build these cells," Will said, a hint of pride in his voice. "These are half pin-barrel hinges." The pirate and I both watched as he easily lifted up a wooden bench from against the wall and wedged it at the bottom of the cell door. "With the right leverage and the proper application of strength...the door will lift free."

Jack studied him again. "...What's your name?"

Will hesitated at the random question, but answered nonetheless. "Will Turner."

Jack then looked to me. "Elyse Norrington," I spoke up.

He nodded, then looked back to Will. "That would be short for William, I imagine. Good, strong name. No doubt named for your father, eh?"

Now both of us looked at him like he was crazy. "Yes..." Will replied quietly.

"And you..." Jack's gaze flicked to me again. "You're the sister of the one with that ridiculous thing on his head, aren't you?" He made an exaggerated motion to represent James' wig. "The one who captured me," he added a bit bitterly.

I narrowed my eyes at his demeaning description of my brother, but nodded all the same. "Why does that matter to you?"

He chose to ignore my question completely and turned to Will again. "Well, Mr. Turner, I've changed me mind." He stood up and walked forward so that he was face-to-face with us. "If you spring me from this cell, I swear on pain of death I shall take you to the _Black Pearl_ and your bonny lass." He extended a hand through the bars. "Do we have an accord?"

Will looked like he was about to accept, but I grabbed his arm and shot him a dark look, then glanced to Jack. "Pardon us a moment," I said sweetly before dragging Will away so that we stood out of hearing range. "Do you have any idea what you're doing?" I hissed. "You're about to spring a pirate from jail, Will!"

"If it will help save Elizabeth, then I'll do it," he said firmly. "He knows something, Elyse. More than I do. Even the smallest bit of information is enough for me right now."

I let out a breath. "Will, I understand your concerns for Elizabeth, but I really don't think this is the smartest idea."

"Then what else would you have me do?" he challenged. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going to be your brother and just wait for a golden moment of opportunity. I love her." Hearing that stung me like a slap in the face, but I said nothing. "I have to do this."

My eyes fell to my necklace, which now disappeared beneath his loose-fitting white shirt and brown vest. I thought long and hard about what to say next, weighing all my options. _I really don't want to do this...but...if it means I'll be able to keep an eye on him, then... _"Only if I can go as well."

Now Will looked at me disbelievingly. "Elyse, you can't be serious."

"I'm dead serious," I said. "This is too dangerous for me to just let you run off alone with him. I don't trust Jack at all."

"And you think I do?"

"Well, if you don't trust him, then why are you about to make a deal with him?"

"Because I have no other option!"

I rolled my eyes and put my hands on my hips. "Will, you're being ridiculous. Take me with you."

"What about James? He'll never let-"

"Oh, forget about him, would you?" His dark eyebrows raised in surprise at the remark, but I didn't care. Quite frankly, I just wanted to get this over with before I came to my senses and changed my mind. "He can deal with it and come to terms with the fact that I am now a grown woman who makes her own decisions. Now if you intend to go on an adventure with Jack, then I'm going along. End of discussion."

Will just stared at me for a few moments before running a hand over his hair that was still pulled back in a messy ponytail and sighed. "I can never win an argument against you, can I? That's twice today you've outwitted me."

I smiled and laughed a bit. "You'd better practice your skills, then." He smiled as well, and I looked at him sincerely. "Thank you."

Will nodded before turning and walking back over to Jack, who shot me an irritated look as I stepped up beside him. "That was much longer than a moment, Miss Norrington."

"My apologies, Mr. Sparrow, but we were negotiating. I will also be accompanying you two, if you don't mind."

Jack looked at me incredulously, then glanced to Will, who shrugged and nodded his consent, and then the infamous pirate looked back at me. "Do ye know anything about sailing at all?"

"Not in the slightest," I said with a grin, "but I'm willing to learn."

Surprisingly, Jack also smiled at my honesty. "Willing to cooperate. I like that. All right, ye can come. Now!" He stuck his hand out again. "Do we have an accord?"

Will nodded firmly and shook his hand. "Agreed."

"Agreed," Jack repeated, withdrawing his hand. "Get me out."

Within seconds, Will had lifted the door clean off of its hinges once I stepped out of the way, and it crashed to the ground. "Hurry! Someone will have heard that."

Jack had already stepped out of the cell, but was going in a different direction than the exit. "Not without my effects!" He grabbed everything he needed and began to reattach his multiple accessories.

"Why bother with that?" Will asked, nodding towards the pistol. "You could've escaped if you'd killed me before, but you weren't willing to use it."

Jack quickly raised the pistol and pointed it at him, making my pulse race. "Are you advising me that was a mistake?"

"No, he's not!" I said quickly, shooting Will a look.

The blacksmith had no response other than to awkwardly stare into the pistol's barrel as Jack continued. "When you've only got one shot, it's best to wait for the opportune moment...That wasn't it...Nor is this." He smiled as he uncocked the pistol and stuck it back into his belt, but I frowned slightly. _What's his obsession with that pistol about? _I made a mental note to confront him about it again some other time as the three of us hurried out of the jail beneath the fort and began our adventure together.


	8. A Cursed Crew

Hoist the Colors: Book One

Chapter Seven

Elyse's POV

I scrambled along behind Jack and Will, trying to keep up and stay low as best as I could in my dress (which I deeply regretted wearing now). Several times already Jack had hissed at me to move faster or hurry up, to which I responded with a glare. The pirate led us towards the docks, trying to avoid the eyes of the soldiers, and several minutes later we ended up crouched underneath a stone bridge, only a short distance away from the sea. I hunkered down beside Jack, and a second later Will came up behind me, one of his arms over my back as his hand pressed up against the wall next to us. I felt my face redden slightly as he spoke. "We're going to steal a ship?" Our gazes both turned to follow Jack's as we looked out to one lone ship floating in the water. "That ship?"

"Commandeer," Jack corrected. "We are going to commandeer that ship. Nautical term." He pointed to a completely different ship; one that was docked.

"It's still against the law."

I stared at him incredulously. "Stealing a ship?"

"Comman-"

"Jack, that's not possible," I said.

He scoffed. "It's entirely doable!"

"Not unless you're planning on stealing a dinghy."

He turned around at that moment, looking at me with irritation. "Miss Norrington! Might I remind you who you're talking to?"

I stared at him blankly for a moment. "...Jack Sparrow?"

"Wrong. You are speaking to _Captain _Jack Sparrow. Emphasis on the 'captain' part. And since I am in fact _your _captain, now that you've so graciously volunteered to accompany me on this journey, you are under _my _command. Which means you follow _my _orders. Savvy?" I clenched my jaw, but nodded in compliance nonetheless. "Splendid!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "Come along!"

oOo

I frowned as I slowly strode forward underwater, following Jack's lead as he, Will and I traveled across the port via the upturned boat, which provided air for us to breathe. _What on Earth am I getting myself into? _I thought as we bobbed along. I doubted that would be the last time I asked myself that question.

"This is either madness, or brilliance," Will commented from behind me.

"It's remarkable how often those two traits coincide," Jack replied, continuing to push us forward. I glanced down as he spoke, stepping over a stray wooden trap of some sort that had sunken to the bottom.

Not two seconds later, there was a crack, and I twisted around to see Will frown as he stepped right on top of it, getting his foot stuck in it and kicking his leg about in an attempt to get it off. I laughed a bit, and he looked up, embarrassed. The smile stayed on my face as we continued on with Will dragging a trap along for the ride.

It didn't take long for us to reach the _Dauntless_, and I helped Will remove the trap from his foot as our trio climbed up the backside of the ship and hopped over the rail. I followed after the men as Jack took out his pistol and Will brandished his sword, the former casually sauntering down the stairs onto the main deck like it was nothing. "Everyone stay calm! We are taking over the ship!" He shouted to the multiple Navy men who were scattered about.

"Aye! Avast!" Will cried, pointing his sword forward to try and look threatening. Jack stopped and looked at him as the soldiers laughed, and poor Will only looked confused at their reactions. I, on the other hand, had a bigger problem. I immediately recognized one of the men as Lieutenant Gilette, who was incredibly close friends with my brother. Any of the men would've recognized me, really, but seeing him on board was enough to make me try and hide behind a wooden post next to Jack.

As the laughter subsided, Gilette spoke. "This ship cannot be crewed by two men. You'll never make it out of the bay!"

Jack, however, still seemed confident. "Son...I'm Captain Jack Sparrow!" I heard the click of a pistol's trigger and winced, hoping he was just bluffing. "Savvy?"

I heard other draw swords and step forward, and I assumed that they were Gilette's men. The Lieutenant stopped them, though. "Sir, I'll not see any of my men killed in this foolish enterprise."

"Fine by me," Jack said. "We brought you a nice little boat, so you can all get back to shore, safe and sound."

After a moment, Gilette spoke again. "Agreed. You have the momentary advantage, sir." He still had a smug, amused tone to his voice. "But I will see you smile from the yard arm, sir."

"As likely as not," Jack replied just as smugly. He then turned to Will. "Will, short up the anchor. We've got ourselves a ship!"

I thought about making an appearance then, but decided to wait until all the soldiers had left the boat. From taking a moment to peek out, I learned that Jack had apparently kept a couple of them on board – at pistol point, no less – to help get a few things started. It didn't take long for them to leave as well, however, with Gilette being the last one off. Just as he left the ship, I stood and made my way over to Will, still keeping an eye out to make sure they didn't see me.

The blacksmith was currently trying to crank a capstan on his own, but to no avail. "Need some help?" I asked.

Will looked up at me with a smile. "Yes, thank you." Together we were able to raise a sail, which easily caught some wind. I felt the boat lurch the slightest bit, and looked up to see that we were slowly but surely beginning to move.

Jack came up beside us and grinned. "Lookee there, mates! We're underway!"

I smiled and followed the pirate across the main deck. "They underestimated us," I said, nodding in the direction of the small boat that we'd crammed all the soldiers into.

"And that, I'm afraid, was a crucial mistake," he replied with a wink. He then spun on his heel. "Will!" he shouted. "Over here!"

oOo

Norrington's POV

I stood on the docks of Port Royal, leafing through a handful of papers that I'd been given earlier that morning. I'd always despised doing paperwork, but obviously it would need to get done. I exhaled. Perhaps I could take care of that later.

Suddenly, an urgent cry grabbed my attention. "Commodore!" I lifted my head and turned to see a...was that a boat full of my soldiers?

I frowned and pulled out my spyglass, lifting it up to see that it was indeed a tiny boat overflowing with soldiers, one of them being Gilette. He was waving his hands about frantically to get my attention, and I could just hear what he was shouting to us. "They've taken the ship! Sparrow and Turner have taken the _Dauntless_!" I focused in on the main deck, watching for a second as the pirate tried to instruct his new first mate on how to run a ship.

"Rash, Turner," I muttered, "too rash." I was about to look away when I saw Sparrow turn and start talking to someone else. I shifted the glass over, now training it on... "Elyse?" I blinked; perhaps I wasn't seeing right. But at second glance, I froze. There she was, my younger sister, standing at the rail as Sparrow yelled to her. I put my spyglass down, anger quickly building inside me as I kept my eyes on my sister. _They took my sister! They've kidnapped her! What on Earth does Sparrow want with her? _"ELYSE!" I shouted, rushing to the end of the dock. I grew even more furious as I then saw Turner walk over to her, both of them looking over to me at my call. _No...Turner must be behind this! Damn Turner! I'll see him hung from a noose, if it's the last thing I ever do! _"ELYSE!"

oOo

Elyse's POV

I already knew we were in trouble when I heard Gilette start shouting to the others on the docks that we were getting away. _Oh no...please tell me Jack can get us out of here..._I glanced over at him as he was talking to Will, then turned to lean back out over the railing. Gilette was still shouting and waving to the others, drawing attention quickly. "Jack!" I warned. "Jack, the others see us!" I continued to watch the activity on the dock, ready to report to Jack when they started taking action.

At that moment, the captain of our miniscule crew called to me. "Elyse!" I looked over at him. "What're they doing down there?" He waved a hand towards the docks.

"Nothing yet," I said, "but they've certainly figured out by now that we're stealing their ship."

"Commandeering!" Jack shouted as he walked away.

I rolled my eyes and turned back to the railing, looking down at the docks again. This time, however, my eyes widened in fear when I saw who was looking right at me. "Oh no...James!" I gasped. I backed up a step or two, wanting to run and hide.

"Elyse?" I turned to see Will coming up to me, looking confused. "What's wrong?"

"James saw me," I said. "He-"

I was interrupted when I heard him shout my name. "ELYSE!" I looked back to the dock, as did Will, and began to panic as I saw him run towards the end of the dock.

"Will, what are we going to do?" I asked. "We're going too slow to outrun them!"

"I know," he said. I heard James shout for me again. "Jack said he has a plan."

I glanced at the soldiers who were now rowing towards us in a longboat. "Let's hope that it actually works." The two of us ran up onto the top deck where Jack was standing.

"Here they come," Will said, and all three of us turned to look out at the small boat. I saw Jack grin at the sight of them.

"What are we going to do?" I asked, and the pirate turned to answer me.

"We wait for them to bring us a better ship, of course," he replied, his grin growing.

oOo

Norrington's POV

I quickly made my way up onto the _Dauntless_, several dozen men already on the boat and ready for action. "Search every cabin; every hold, down to the bilges!" I ordered to the soldiers behind me. "I want them found, especially Elyse!" I myself began to scan the top deck, looking for any sign of them. I didn't even want to think about what that pirate would do to my sister if he got the chance. Knowing that she was in the hands of Turner was bad enough, but adding Jack Sparrow to the mix was even worse.

oOo

Elyse's POV

"Are you sure this is the smartest idea?" I hissed from where the three of us were crouched, holding onto my rope tightly.

"Unless you have a better alternative, I suggest you obey your captain." was Jack's reply. I sighed in exasperation, and a moment later he gave us the nod to go ahead. The pirate jumped forward off the side of the boat and swung across to the ship that the Navy men had brought up alongside her; the _Interceptor_. Will then followed his lead, and after a momentary glance at the icy blue water far below, I gave a small squeak of fear before also swinging over after them.

I landed on the deck fairly clumsily, ending up sprawled on my back. After getting back on my feet, I watched as Will used his hatchet to cut the ropes that held the two ships together, and the _Interceptor_ immediately began moving out towards open sea. Soon enough, the gangplanks fell away and into the water with a splash, and I watched as my brother stopped to turn around at the noise, looking absolutely furious when he spotted me. I heard him shout for the sailors to get back to the _Interceptor_ and ran to Jack. "They're coming back!" I warned.

He glanced behind us. "We're fine, miss. They won't be making it back." Sure enough, there came the scream of a man as he attempted to swing back over, but was too late and ended up plummeting into the water below. The two of us turned around at the wheel, and Jack waved his hat in the air, taunting my brother as he looked on. "Thank you, Commodore, for getting us ready to make way! We'd have had a hard time with it by ourselves!"

Several men lined up along the side of the ship and began to shoot at us, so I instinctively ducked, as did Will several feet away. After a moment I peeked up over the railing again, feeling guilty for leaving my brother behind and making him angry like that.

Jack seemed to sense my distress. "Don't worry 'bout him, love." He then turned back to focus on steering the ship as we continued to run a straight course out to open sea.

oOo

Norrington's POV

Furious was a mild way to describe my feelings at the moment. How? How had that filthy, no-good pirate outwitted us? Now he'd managed to make off with one of our best ships and drag my sister along with him. _He will rue the day he ever tries to cross swords with me_. With a frown etched onto my face, I gave an order to Gilette. "Set topsails and clear up this mess."

"With the wind quarter from astern, we won't catch them!" he protested.

"I don't need to catch them," I said, exasperated, "just get them in range of the long nines!"

As I continued up a staircase onto the upper deck, Gilette relayed the order. "Hands! Come about! Roll out the guns!" We stood together at the rail, and he leaned closer to me, sounding unsure. "We are to fire on our own ship, sir?"

I stared straight ahead, still seething. "I'd rather see her at the bottom of the ocean than in the hands of a pirate."

There came another shout from below. "Commodore!" I looked down. "He's disabled the rudder chain, sir!"

I looked up again, and watched in dismay as the small boat that held a large group of soldiers get plowed over by the _Dauntless_, men screaming as they abandoned the tiny boat before it got torn to pieces.

As I closed my eyes and hung my head in frustration, Gilette spoke up from beside me. "That's got to be the best pirate I've ever seen."

I glowered at the now escaped _Interceptor. _"So it would seem."

oOo

Jay's POV

I stood next to Elizabeth in the captain's cabin, arms crossed, wondering why we'd been asked to come here. It was a dark night, a full moon overhead, and I had so many questions that I wanted answered. I'd spent hours in the previous days we'd been aboard the _Pearl _trying to figure out Barbossa's plan, but I just couldn't do it, and something told me that they wanted to keep us prisoners for more than ransom in the future. But why? Why were we important to them? Why did they want the medallion so badly? Where were we even going? And what was it that Barbossa knew about my parents that I didn't?

"Jay." I looked up at my cousin. "I...I've been thinking."

"Thinking about what?" I frowned.

"About escape," Elizabeth replied, stepping closer to me. "Think, Jay, there's got to be a way out of here! There must be some way we can slip out unnoticed, or...or fight them off somehow and go get help!"

I shook my head. "No. We have to stay here."

She looked frustrated and sighed. "Well, I don't want to wait around for them to kill us! I want to get out of here and back to Port Royal before this becomes an even bigger mess than it is now!"

"But Elizabeth, we can't," I argued. "We don't know what these guys are capable of."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, for heaven's sake, Jay! They're just normal men with dirty hair, bad teeth, and swords. You can fight, can't you? You can get us out!"

"I can't do anything," I said. "Not until I have more information and can form a proper plan. Right now we've got no leverage against them, so it would be foolish to try and pull any stunts now. I know it's hard, Elizabeth, but all we can do is wait."

She stared me down for a few seconds, finally clenching her jaw and scowling. "Fine, then. I guess I'll just have to get myself out and leave you here to continue forming your ingenious plan."

I sighed. "Elizabeth..."

Before I could say anything else, however, the door to the cabin opened, and in walked Pintel and Ragetti, each of them holding a bundle of fabric. "You two'll be dinin' with the captain tonight," Pintel said, "and he requests you wear these." I reached out and took the dress from Ragetti without question, but Elizabeth decided to be more difficult.

"Tell the captain that I am disinclined to acquiesce his request," she said bitterly.

Pintel got a wicked grin on his face. "'E said you'd say that. He also said that if that be the case, you'll be dining with the crew...and you'll be naked." Ragetti giggled, and Elizabeth angrily held out her hand for Pintel to hand the dress over.

The portly pirate frowned, dissatisfied with her choice. "Fine." The two of them quickly left the room, pouting.

I looked at my cousin as I unfolded the gown and looked it over. Our dresses were identical in design, except for the color. While Elizabeth's gown was a rich maroon, mine was a deep, dark blue. I shrugged and began undressing so that I could change. "I suppose we have no other choice."

Elizabeth frowned and echoed my actions, and within five minutes we were both dressed and ready for dinner. I took the time to poke around the room, inspecting things and seeing if I could interpret anything from them. The room was furnished well (by a pirate's standards), but the first thing I noticed that was peculiar was that there was a distinct lack of rum in the room. If there was one thing I knew about pirates, it's that they were never far from a bottle of rum, and there's wasn't a single one to be seen. Again, I asked myself why. _What would prevent Barbossa from drinking rum?_

As I continued to look around, I noticed a table with a map splayed across it. I walked over to it and looked it over, following the hand-drawn trail leading over the seas and to a specific area with an 'X' marked over it in black ink. But upon closer inspection, I saw that the 'X' wasn't marking anything, it was just out in the middle of the ocean. _What does that mean? Why would he be traveling to nowhere? ...Unless he's traveling to a somewhere...and that somewhere's hidden away. _But that didn't answer any of my questions. In fact, the whole thing just confused me even more.

I had no more time to think on it, though, for at that moment the doors to the captain's cabin opened, and in came multiple pirates carrying trays of food, candles, and wine, followed lastly by Barbossa himself. I stepped away from his charts before he noticed, moving over to stand with Elizabeth.

The pirate captain looked both of us over as his monkey jumped from his shoulder and ran across the table to his perch that hung from the ceiling. "Maid or not...they suit you," he said rather disturbingly. I stared at him darkly.

Elizabeth took a few steps forward. "Dare I ask the fate of their previous owners?"

At that question, Barbossa pursed his lips and clicked his tongue. "Now none of that." He walked over to Elizabeth and pulled out a chair for her. "Please." He turned to me as well, but I seated myself, to which he merely nodded before taking the last chair available. "Dig in."

Elizabeth looked at him oddly for a moment before taking a small piece of meat and cutting it daintily before eating it. I rolled my eyes and began to fill my plate, eating normally.

Barbossa noticed my cousin's eating habits. "No need to stand on ceremony, and no call to impress anyone. You must be hungry."

Elizabeth eyed him warily again before grabbing a huge leg of meat with lightning speed and shoving it into her mouth. I held back a snicker as she ate like a wild animal. I was just as hungry as she, but I still kept at least some manners present.

"Try the wine," the captain suggested. It was then that I noticed how intently he was watching her devour her food. She took a huge swig of wine and downed it with a large piece of bread as well. I frowned at the lustful look on Barbossa's face, but then realized that he wasn't looking directly at her that way...he was looking at the food that way. And then I saw that he had yet to touch anything that had been laid out. _Why isn't he eating?_

"And the apples," he continued, "one of those next."

Elizabeth picked one up, about to take a bite – but stopped when she now also noticed the lack of food on Barbossa's plate and the way he was watching her. She dropped the food in her hand, looking frightened. "It's poisoned!" She shoved her plate away, and I stopped eating as well.

But to our surprise, Barbossa just laughed. "Oh, there would be no sense in killin' the two of you, Miss Turner."

"Then why aren't you eating?" she asked.

A look of longing flickered across his face. "Would that I could," he said quietly. As he looked down to pull something out of his coat pocket, I saw Elizabeth pull a knife from the table and hide it in the folds of her dress. My attention turned back to Barbossa when he produced what he'd been hiding and let it dangle over his fingers: the medallion. "You don't know what this is, do you?"

Elizabeth turned up her nose. "It's a pirate medallion," she stated matter-of-factly.

Barbossa was not impressed. "It's a piece of the treasure of the Isla de Muerta."

As soon as he said the name, I sat up straighter. "The cursed Aztec gold," I said disbelievingly. "The legends are true."

"Legend?" He looked to me, shaking his head. "This be more than a legend, Miss Lachence. It's history."

"I don't understand." We both looked to Elizabeth now. "What's this about cursed gold?"

"It revolves around the ancient pirate Cortes," I said. I knew a fair amount about the subject. "Long ago, when he was one of the most ruthless pirates known to man, a high priest offered him all the gold that they possessed. There was one catch, though. In order to get the gold, Cortes had to stop killing so many people and spare their lives. He agreed to the terms, but did not follow through on his end of the accord."

"Great pirate, that one," Barbossa cut in. He then continued the story. "So the priest, with his last dying breath, called upon the blood of his people, and put a curse on the gold. If anyone so much as took a single piece from the chest, as he was compelled by greed, by greed he would be consumed."

I nodded. That was the extent of what I knew.

"Within a day of leaving port for Spain, on the ship carrying the gold...something went wrong." I frowned. "The ship ran aground...every man aboard dead...save one. He survived long enough to hide the gold ashore. Over time, the dark magic of the curse seeped into that place, making it a cursed island. An island of death."

"Isla de Muerta," I said, suddenly understanding the charts I'd just seen. _So we're going there. It's a hidden island, but Barbossa knows where it is. _But...that didn't make sense. "So how do you know where this place is?"

He laughed bitterly. "Because I've been there meself, Miss. Seen the gold with me own eyes."

"Well that's all very interesting, but I hardly believe in ghost stories anymore," Elizabeth said.

Barbossa suddenly grew angry with her, slamming his hand on the table and lunging forward a bit. "Idiot girl!" he shouted, making us both jump. "It's no make-believe! My crew and I, we found the gold, and we did more than take one piece; we took it all. Rich men we were...and we spent it and traded it and gave it away in exchange for drink, food, and pleasant company." He calmed down at this point, now sounding remorseful. "But we found out...the drink could not sate us...food turned to ashes in our mouths...and no amount of company could ease our torment." He looked Elizabeth in the eye. "We are cursed men, Miss Turner. Condemned to be forever consumed by our own greed. Gold calls to us, always, and we are driven, always, to find more and add it to the treasure."

"And is it possible to break this curse?" I asked after a moment.

"There is but one way," he nodded. "All of the scattered pieces of the treasure must be restored in full, and the blood repaid. We've recovered every piece..." He fingered the medallion. "...Save for this. And thanks to the two of ye, we have now finally found it."

Elizabeth looked at him, confusion on her face. "And the...blood to be repaid?"

Now Barbossa smirked. "That's why there be no sense in killin' you. Yet." Elizabeth stared at him, horrified, but I just sat back in my chair and thought about everything Barbossa'd said, the pieces of the puzzle slowly all coming together. The pirate reached out and extended his hand to Elizabeth, a bright green fruit in his grasp. "Apple?"

Elizabeth instantly jumped up from her seat and smacked the apple from his hand. I got p as well and followed her as she tried to run, but Barbossa was faster and caught up to her, grabbing her and spinning her around. A second later, she whipped out her knife and brought it forward just as I reached them, burying it in Barbossa's chest to the hilt. I stopped in my tracks, expecting a scream...but nothing came. Instead, the pirate looked down at the knife, exhaled in exasperation, and ripped it out. Bright red blood stained the knife, but was nowhere on his body. Elizabeth's eyes went wide, as did mine.

"I'm curious. After killing me, what was it you were planning to do next?" he asked viciously.

I pushed Elizabeth behind me, stepping between her and Barbossa. "Run!" I shouted, and Elizabeth immediately did so. I followed her, my fists clenched in anger from the way he roughly handled my cousin as we barreled through the door and out onto the deck.

Suddenly, Elizabeth and I were being pushed around in a circle, and I looked down to see that we'd run right into a bunch of pirates in the midst of doing their work. But hearing Elizabeth scream in terror made me look up to see a skeletal being, with decaying skin and hair still clinging to them in certain places, staring me right in the face. I went limp with fear, not making a sound, but wanting to throw up as I saw the morbid scene of all the pirates transforming into the undead when in the light of the moon. Everywhere I looked, they were all the same. Rotten and broken, nothing but boney faces looking at me.

I heard Elizabeth scream again as she tried to get out of the group of pirates, only to trip backwards and fall down beneath the deck. "ELIZABETH!" I shouted, but at that moment I spun out and slammed into the railing of the boat, just catching myself as an undead pirate popped up next to me, causing me to jump and run the other direction. I heard an even louder scream, and spun around to see Elizabeth go flying into the air once, then twice somehow. I tried scrambling over to help her, but ended up tripping and falling to the deck in my panic, and looked up to see pirates looming over me, the scent of death permeating the air.

I shoved them out of the way and ran towards the helm, trying to catch Elizabeth as she tried to deal with a pirate harassing her there. He attempted to reach over the wheel to grab her, so she spun it hard, causing the handles to repeatedly hit is jaw until his head completely snapped back with a sickening crack. To my disgust, he simply popped it back into place and tried going after her again, but she managed to get away. As she came running back down to the main deck, I grabbed her and pulled her underneath the staircase with me to catch our breath.

Just as I'd begun to calm down, there was an ear-shattering screech from right behind us coming from Barbossa's undead monkey, making both of us scream and cling to each other tightly. I pulled her out from under there and made for the captain's cabin again, but was stopped by Barbossa grabbing me and shoving me backwards, out towards the deck again. I struggled, but he spun me around to face his demented crew.

"Look!" he shouted to the both of us as the crew gathered around so we could see them all. "The moonlight shows us for what we really are! We are not among the living, and so we cannot die, but neither are we dead! Ten years I've been parched of a thirst, and unable to quench it!" I turned back around to look at him, as did Elizabeth. "Ten years I've been starvin' to death – and haven't died! I feel nothin'! Not the wind of my face...nor the spray of the sea..." We backed away, and I cringed in horror as he reached a hand out to touch us, the moonlight turning his arm to bone. "...Nor the warmth of a woman's flesh..." He stepped out into the moonlight farther, his entire face and body transforming right before my eyes. "You best start believing in ghost stories, Miss Turner...you're in one!" Elizabeth gasped in horror, unable to speak, and we watched, holding each other tightly as Barbossa ripped the cork out of a bottle of wine, drinking it, and all the wine pouring right down through his bones onto the deck, staining what was left of his body red.

_That's it. I've had enough. _Without a word, I grabbed Elizabeth's arm even tighter and dragged her behind me as I pushed past Barbossa and back into the captain's cabin, the doors slamming shut behind us. Elizabeth instantly ran to the darkest corner of the room and broke down crying, and I leaned my back against the wall, trying to recompose myself as I slid down it and pulled my knees up to my chest. _This isn't happening. It's all a bad dream. _I tried to convince myself that everything

was going to be all right, but no matter what I tried, there was one mantra that played itself over and over in my head.

_We're in a living nightmare._

**A/N: Hey everyone! :) I've been feeling in a very Pirates mood lately, so I figured now was the time to crank out another chapter. Sorry if this one sucks...I'm kinda iffy on how much I like this one. Hopefully I did okay after being inactive for so long. Let me know in a review! :) Hopefully I'll continue to be inspired and update this fic even more soon, so keep your eyes peeled!**

**~Erin**


	9. Tortuga

**A/N: Update again! This one's got a looooooooooooooooot of Elyse/Will stuff...and it was very fun for me to write, so I hope you like it. :) Thanks in advance for reading (and possibly reviewing)!**

Hoist the Colors: Book One

Chapter Eight

Elyse's POV

The rhythmic sound of whetstone scraping against metal as Will sharpened his sword was all that could be heard as I stared out towards the sea. I sat on top of a crate near the blacksmith; the two of us being somewhat alone as Jack was off tending to the ship elsewhere. It was our first day out in the open water, and I still couldn't shake the feeling of guilt off of my shoulders for leaving my brother back at Port Royal. As overbearing as he could be sometimes, I still loved him dearly, and I knew without a doubt that he'd be furious when he caught up to us. If he caught up to us. _Oh, what am I saying? He's probably got the entire Royal Navy out looking for us by now._ And it certainly didn't help that he'd obviously spotted Will yesterday, too... I glanced down at him. _Well, I'm the one that decided to come along. Will didn't really do anything wrong. ...He'll probably still jump to conclusions anyway._

I exhaled through my nose, growing tired of the quiet. "It's a great view," I said. "The ocean, I mean."

Will looked up as I spoke. "You like it?"

I nodded. "Yes. It's strange seeing it everywhere...it looks so...endless."

"It does, doesn't it?" He stopped scraping and looked out as well. "...It also looks very cold."

I laughed. "I don't doubt that. Though that sounds pretty inviting at this point. It's so hot!"

"I know," he said. "Speaking of which, why are you still in your dress? That thing's way too heavy for today."

I raised an eyebrow. "I didn't bring other clothes with me, Will. I can't just walk around wearing nothing...though Jack would probably get a kick out of that." He made a face at that comment, and I laughed again. "Maybe there's something down below deck that I can put on. I don't know." I tried to stifle a yawn just then, but it didn't work, and Will noticed it.

"You're tired?" he asked.

I nodded. "I didn't sleep for more than an hour or two last night."

Will looked at me in shock. "Elyse! Why didn't you say anything? You should rest."

"Well, I figured Jack would've needed me to do something...help out a little."

"I could've taken your jobs."

"No," I replied instantly. "You don't need to do extra work so I can be lazy."

"But you do need sleep," he scolded. "Why don't you go try now? You're not busy."

I shrugged. "I'll sleep later."

"Elyse..."

"I will!" I protested. "I promise! Just...not now."

"Why not?"

I clenched my jaw. He was being persistent. "William Turner, I'm quite sure that it's none of your business."

"It is if I'm concerned for a friend's health," he said. He looked right at me, his eyes soft. "Please, Elyse. If something's wrong, you can tell me."

I stared back for a few moments, but I couldn't win against those eyes. "Oh, fine. It's not that big of a deal, really...I just feel horrible about leaving without telling James. He's probably worried sick!" I looked down at my hands in my lap. "In fact, I didn't say a word to anybody about it. I just left, and now I regret it."

"You regret coming along?"

"No," I replied quickly, "not that. I just wish I would've given him a warning or something. He probably had a heart attack when he spotted me yesterday."

Will hesitated before replying. "Forgive me if this is too blunt, but you know that if you had told him about leaving, he would've stopped you."

I sighed. "Yes, I know. It's just harder than it seems, running away on an adventure. Especially with an insane pirate who I have every right to be suspicious of," I added quietly at the end.

Will chuckled. "Jack won't hurt you. I'll make sure of that."

The way he said that made my heart skip a beat, and I smiled at him. "Thank you." He nodded, and silence fell over us again for a few moments until I broke it once more. "Well, I think I'm going to go look and see if I can change out of this dress. It'll be the death of me if I wear it in this heat much longer." The blacksmith laughed quietly again as I stood up and walked past him, soon reaching the staircase and disappearing below.

oOo

I looked myself over in a mirror I'd found and nodded, satisfied with my work. It had taken some hunting, but thankfully I'd been able to find clothes that fit me decently (thank the heavens we were on a ship from Port Royal and not a filthy pirate ship). My new attire consisted of a white collared shirt with sleeves rolled up to my elbows for hot days like today, a deep maroon vest, a small black belt cinched around my waist, light grey loose-fitting pants, and knee-high dark brown boots that reminded me of Jack's a bit. Nothing too spectacular, but it would have to do for now. I pulled my blonde hair back up into a bun again and brushed my bangs aside before heading back up to the deck.

Imagine how alarmed I was to see Jack shouting at Will, who was dangling out over the ocean, struggling to cling to the boom that was suspended over the water.

"Will!" I cried, hurrying up the stairs and running to the rail. "Come here, grab my hand!" I stretched, but couldn't reach him.

"No need for that, Miss Norrington!" Jack called over.

I ignored him. "Will, come on!" He tried, but it was no use. He was too far out. I finally gave up, still panicked and looked around the ship for something to help him. Then I noticed a smug-looking Jack staring over at me.

"Ye can try all ye like to save 'im, but unless you crawl out there yourself there's no getting 'im down."

I quickly put two and two together and stared daggers at him. "You put him out there! Jack Sparrow, get him back on the ship this instant!" I stormed up to him, absolutely furious.

"Forgive me if I seem unfazed by the threats of a little girl," he replied. He was a bit taller than me, especially so with his boots on, so he looked quite a bit more intimidating, I'll admit.

But that didn't matter. "But I know you don't consider me just a girl, now do you? Otherwise you wouldn't have let me on your ship."

"And what makes you think I'm to listen to you?"

I scoffed. "Oh, am I not important enough as one of your two crew members? Am I simply cargo to you?"

I expected a snappy retort from the pirate, so I was caught a bit off-guard when he didn't answer right away. Instead Jack got a strange look in his eye, and I wondered if I'd somehow said something I shouldn't have. "I don't think of you as cargo, Elyse," he said quietly. "...People aren't cargo."

I frowned a bit, confused by his suddenly quiet tone and the fact that he'd called me by my first name. "...Right."

Jack still remained silent for a few seconds before exhaling, seemingly going back to his normal self and stepping around me. "Well, boy! I don't think you've quite learned your lesson, have you?"

I didn't turn around right away, still trying to process what just happened. _Did I do something wrong? _I made a mental note to ask him about that later.

When I did walk back over to Jack, he was still harassing Will. "What a man can do, and what a man can't do," he was saying. "For instance! You can accept that your father was a pirate _and_ a good man...or you can't." I frowned again. _What?_ "Now me...I can let you drown."

I stiffened. "No, you cannot!"

He ignored me. "But I can't sail this ship to Tortuga all by me onesy. Or...twosey," he corrected himself after glancing at me. Will still looked terrified, but finally Jack finished torturing him and moved over to hit a lever that swung the boom back in. Will dropped to the deck on his back, and before he could get up, Jack was standing overtop of him, holding a sword with the hilt extended to Will. "Now can you sail under the command of a pirate...or can you not?"

Will paused. "...Tortuga?"

Jack grinned as the blacksmith gripped the sword. "Tortuga."

"Tortuga?" I echoed, feeling a bit like a parrot. "What's that?"

Jack looked at me, still grinning. "The most incredible town a man could ever set foot into," he said, then sauntered off.

I watched him go with a puzzled expression plastered on my face, then turned to Will as he stood up. "Do you know anything about Tortuga?"

He shrugged. "Not much."

I crossed my arms, glancing back at Jack. "So, what was all that about?"

"What?"

"He said something about your father?"

Now Will was the one who didn't answer immediately. "...He says my father was a pirate."

I blinked. "Oh."

"And I still don't believe him for one second," he muttered angrily. "He was a good man! Not some sleazy, manipulating scum."

"Well, I guess I can't say anything since I never met your father," I said. "But...for what it's worth, I don't really think it matters all that much. I mean, just because he might've been a pirate doesn't mean you have to do the same thing. If you want to stay a blacksmith, then stay a blacksmith."

He nodded. "That's true."

There was another moment of silence as Will turned and took a few steps to lean up against the rail and look out to sea again. I stepped up beside him and did the same, but when I glanced up at him, I frowned. He had a distraught look in his eyes still. "Will?" At my voice, he blinked and turned to me, his chocolate eyes meeting my hazel ones. I studied him for a moment before continuing. "There's something else, isn't there?"

He sighed and nodded. "I'm worried about her, Elyse."

It didn't take a genius to know who he was talking about. "She'll be alright, Will. Jay's there to look after her."

"But they're on a ship full of pirates!" he exclaimed. "Who knows what they'll do to them? What they could've done already? They could die, Elyse!" I watched him as he spoke. "...I don't know what I would do if I lost her," he whispered.

It hurt to hear the emotion for Elizabeth in his voice, but for his sake, I let nothing show. Instead, I placed my hand on his arm for comfort. "I know, Will. I'm worried about them, too. But we've got Jack helping us out now. He knows what he's doing. We'll find them. If we have to sail to the ends of the Earth and beyond to find them, we will."

"You'd do that?" he asked.

I smiled a bit. "Of course I would. As long as you keep searching for them, so will I." My eyes fell on the necklace peeking out of his shirt. _Would it be too bold?... _After a moment's hesitation, I reached up and touched the single white stone dangling from the cord. "That's what this is for, remember?"

Will smiled back. "How could I forget?"

"That's more like it," I said with a laugh, and he laughed too.

Suddenly, Jack's shout echoed across the deck. "Miss Norrington! Over here, if you please!"

I started over across the deck, but stopped when I heard Will. "Elyse!" I turned to see him follow me over, and was very surprised when he pulled me into a hug. I returned it quickly before pulling away and looking up at him. "I'm glad you're here."

I felt my face flush. "T-Thank you," I stuttered before nodding once and heading back over to Jack. My heart raced as I left him, and I let out a breath. _So am I._

oOo

Jay's POV

_~Flashback~_

_ You are a young girl, no older than the age of ten. You are walking home in the rain from school, and you are tired; it's been a long day. You are looking forward to coming home, eating supper, and probably not doing your homework tonight. Though you wish it wasn't raining. It's not as much fun to walk home in the rain._

_ You have reached your home and are at the front door. You step inside and immediately scrunch your nose. This does not smell like dinner. You know this smell. This smells like alcohol. You do not like alcohol very much; it seems to make people do stupid things. You sigh. Guess it's up to you to fix your own dinner tonight._

_ You walk into the kitchen and set your bag onto the table, and are about to start looking for things to eat when you hear footsteps coming downstairs. "Jay!"_

_ You look up to see your daddy entering the kitchen. He has a bottle in his hand. You know what is in that bottle and you wish he wouldn't have it, but you still smile at him. "Hi, Daddy."_

_ But your daddy does not seem happy today. He seems upset. "Jay! What the bloody hell did I tell you about leaving your books on the table! That table is for eating, not for storing your things!" He shoves it aside; the bag lands on the floor._

_ "I'm sorry, Daddy," you say. Some of his words don't quite make sense to you; they are running together. You know your daddy is drunk again, and it makes you sad. You walk over to him as he takes another drink from the bottle. "Daddy?"_

_ "What?"_

_ "Um...I was wondering if you were going to take me to get ice cream today, like I asked."_

_ Your daddy looks at you, blinks, then swears and slams his fist on the table. You jump. "Damnit, Jay! Can't I get one single day of peace in this house without you pestering me for everything?"_

_ "Okay," you mutter. "That's all right. I'm sorry, Daddy."_

_ "Shut your mouth! I won't take that tone in my house!" Suddenly, your world is spinning, and you are on the ground. Your cheek hurts. You realize your daddy has hit you._

_ You look at him, afraid now. "Daddy?"_

_ "I said SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" He hits you again, harder this time. You cry out and fall backwards. "STOP TALKING TO ME IN THAT TONE!" Suddenly, he trips and almost falls on something. You look down. It's your shoes._

_ You look back up, frightened, as your daddy steadies himself. He looks very, very angry. "I-I'm sorry, Daddy! I didn't-"_

_ You cry out as he kicks and hits you again. "JAY! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU to PICK UP YOUR BLOODY SHOES AND PUT THEM AWAY?" He hits you more. "GET THAT THROUGH YOUR THICK LITTLE SKULL!" He hits you even more._

_ You are crying a lot now. "Daddy, stop!" you scream._

_ "DON'T YOU TELL ME WHAT TO DO!" he roars. You sit on the kitchen floor and scream and cry as he hits you again and again and again. "I'M YOUR FATHER AND I RUN THIS HOUSE! YOU WILL LISTEN TO ME AND DO AS I SAY!"You scream again as he kicks you in the ribs. Did something crack? You don't know, but everything really hurts. You still cry as he keeps beating you. You can't see straight anymore. "I NEVER LOVED YOU! NEVER! YOU'RE NOT THE DAUGHTER I WANTED!"_

_ This continues for a long time. Too long, you think. Eventually, when your daddy stops and leaves, you run to your room and lock yourself in. You sit in the corner, curled into a ball, and cry. Everything hurts. Everything hurts a lot. Why does he do this to you?_

_~End Flashback~_

I gasped and shot upright from where I'd been sleeping, panicked. _Where am I? Dad? What...what's happening? _It took me a minute or so, but soon I calmed down and remembered that I was on the _Pearl _when I saw Elizabeth's sleeping form not far off, barely visible in the darkness. I sighed and held my head in my hands, trying to relax. _It's all right. You're fine. You're not at home. You're not with your dad. You're on a ship. Out at sea. Elizabeth's here. It's all right..._

But the nightmares...oh, they're so horrible. Some nights I barely sleep at all; they're so bad. Since I'm a grown woman now, I've been able to get used to dealing with them and all...but being on this ship isn't much of a comfort now. I looked back at Elizabeth. I felt awful, telling her that we had to wait for our chance instead of escaping now, but it really wouldn't be that smart of a thing to do. We didn't know our way around the ship well enough, and now that I knew these pirates were unable to be killed or hurt, I was much more wary of them. I'd seen some of those men, and they looked strong. Strong like my dad.

I shuddered and slowly laid back down again, curling up and shutting my eyes tight, yet still very aware of my surroundings and afraid of my dreams. I certainly didn't trust these pirates, and was still slightly afraid of them, too, given their apparent invincibility. And Barbossa was a very cryptic man, so even though I knew where we were going, it still wasn't enough to form a solid plan of escape. _I hope someone's coming after us, because I don't have the slightest idea as to how we're getting out of this on our own._

oOo

Elyse's POV

I think it's officially safe to say that I hate Tortuga.

The place is absolutely disgusting! It seemed as if the tides had swept together all the scum of the Caribbean – pirates, thieves, prostitutes, and drunkards – and pushed them into one slimy little town. The stench of alcohol and several other unpleasant things followed you everywhere you went, the buildings looked like they could collapse any day now, and I'm completely convinced that no one here has ever heard of a bath. Why anyone would ever want to make a living in a place like this is a mystery to me.

Jack seemed to know his way around very well, though, explaining the plan to us as we wove through crowds of people. I was hardly paying any attention, though. Too focused on trying to touch as few smelly people as possible. My attention was brought back to the pirate ahead only when I heard what sounded like a slap, and looked up to see Jack rubbing his jaw as a woman with fiery red hair smirked and stalked off.

Jack muttered something to Will that I didn't catch, but his tone became sweet and smooth as another one approached him, this girl having blonde hair. "Who was she?" she questioned heatedly, nodding in the direction of the redhead.

"What?" Jack was rewarded with another prompt smack to the face, and I winced. As he turned to say something again to Will, I cried out as a rather large man slammed into me, sending me stumbling into Will's back.

"Oi! Watch where yer goin', ya rotten wench!" he shouted.

My jaw dropped in shock, but I said nothing and turned to follow the two men into a building not far away. Glancing up at the sign, I frowned at the depiction of a woman holding a bouquet in shackled hands. _The Faithful Bride, is it? This ought to be interesting._

As soon as we stepped inside, I wished we hadn't. It seemed almost worse than the outdoors. The bar was fairly spacious, but absolutely crammed with people, most of whom had alcohol dribbling from their lips. Prostitutes also littered the area, and I bit back a laugh at thinking about what James would do if he knew I'd ended up here, of all places.

It made me incredibly uneasy to be in a place like this, however. I'd only ever been to a bar once in my life, and it was only two years ago to celebrate my twentieth birthday with some friends. Even then, it was much more well-run than this filthy place. I lightly grabbed Will's arm and stopped him as Jack went up to the bartender for a chat. "I hope we don't stay here too long. I'm already sick of this place."

An amused smirk found its way onto his face. "You don't like bars?"

I scrunched my nose at him. "If you could call it that." He laughed. "I feel like it's impossible to come into a place like this without getting into trouble somehow."

"Just don't make eye contact or conversation with anyone," he said. "You'll be all right."

I sighed as Jack waved to get our attention. "I still don't like it here."

As we walked over to join the pirate and his associate, he beamed. "Here. Take these." He then handed each of us a bucket full of water. I eyed him curiously, but he just winked and motioned for us to follow. We did, and soon enough we'd made our way out to the rear of the bar, where we encountered a sad sight. A man, passed out drunk in the mud with the pigs, smiling like a fool as he slept.

I made another disgusted face. "He smells awful," I whispered to Will. He stifled a laugh.

Jack quickly turned and grabbed the bucket of water from me, then tossed it completely onto the sleeping man. He woke up in a blink, sputtering and coughing. "Curse ya for breathin', ya slack-jawed idiot!" His tone completely changed, though, when he spotted us. Or, one of us. "Mother's love, Jack! You know better than to wake a man when he's sleepin'! It's bad luck!"

"Fortunately, I know how to counter it," Jack replied. "The man who did the waking buys the man who did the sleeping a drink, and the man who did the sleeping drinks it while listening to a proposition from the man who did the waking."

I stared at him, completely confused, but the man on the ground seemed to understand him. "Aye, that'll about do it." Jack helped the dirty man to his feet, only for Will to dump the water from his bucket on him. "Blast it, I'm already awake!" he yelled.

"That was for the smell," Will said with a glance in my direction. I smiled.

oOo

I shifted my weight from where Will and I stood on watch, several feet away from the table that Jack and the man who called himself Gibbs were seated. Will and I were having a casual conversation as we stayed close to one another, though my mind was only half-focused on what he was saying. I could've sworn I recognized the name Gibbs from somewhere...I just couldn't quite figure it out. I was trying to eavesdrop a bit on their conversation, hoping that I could learn a bit more about the sailor.

Will watched as a couple of men started getting into a heated argument a few tables away. "Alcohol can do a lot to a man."

I nodded. "It can indeed. It's a shame, really. Some of the greatest men in the world get exposed to the stuff and then suddenly they can't even see straight." I subtly shifted backwards a bit so I could hear the two pirates better. Jack was asking about a crew.

"I'll never understand how people can build up such an intolerance for the stuff," Will said.

"Oh, Jay's one of those people," I replied. "She was with us the one night that I went out with friends for some drinks...she had more than anyone else and barely suffered anything from it."

Will laughed a bit and started saying something else about how he rarely had much to drink, but another snippet of information caught my attention from Jack. "I'm going after the Black Pearl." I heard Gibbs choke on his drink, and my own eyes widened a bit. _The Black Pearl? The ship that Jay and Elizabeth are on?_

"What about you?"

I blinked and looked back to Will. "I'm sorry?"

"How are you with drinking?"

"Oh, I'm a lightweight," I said quickly. "Can't take much."

Will's next statement was lost on me as well, as I tried to listen more eagerly now on what Gibbs was saying. "...a fool's errand! You've heard the tales..." He was drowned out by the noise of the other people around him.

"Elyse?" I snapped back to Will. "Is something wrong? You're quiet."

"Oh, I'm sorry," I apologized. "I've just...got a lot on my mind."

"Are you still worried about James?"

"Partially," I said. "Though I think I'm finally starting to get over that now."

"Good," he nodded. It was quiet for another moment, until he looked at me again. "Actually, I've been meaning to ask you something."

I met his gaze. "What?"

I noticed he tilted his head slightly. He did that a lot when asking questions, and I found it adorable. "Why did you come along? You're not one to get involved with pirates by any means."

I sighed. _I came because I wanted to stay with you. _"Well, Jay is one of my closest friends, you know. And so are you. I'm not about to let both of you run off on some wild goose chase across the sea without me. I'd worry too much."

He smiled. "Not so different from your brother, are you?"

I smiled back at that and opened my mouth to reply when suddenly I felt someone slam into my back, causing me to trip into Will again. When I turned around, I was faced with a sleazy looking man who'd obviously had too much to drink. "Outta the way, ya stupid wench!" he sneered. Behind him, a group of men who I guessed were his friends laughed.

My nostrils flared in a rush of anger. _Oh, no. Not this again. _Normally I would've kept a lid on my temper and let him go, but I was quite tired of being pushed and shoved around by other people, so in a sudden display of bravery, I took a step closer to him as he tried to pass by, scowling. "Why don't you just watch where you're going?"  
At my outburst, he slowly turned back to face me. I felt Will grab my shoulder from behind. "Think you can tell me what to do, eh?"

"I think you should learn when you should put your mug down so you can still walk straight!"

His eyes flashed. "She's a feisty one, ain't she?" he called to the group behind him. "Got a lot of pep in 'er!"

"Elyse..." I felt Will grip my arm as a warning, and his touch brought me back to reality, expelling some of my bravado.

The man just laughed as I stood silent. "Oh, what's this? She's all bark and no bite! Gotta get her lover to do it for her!" The others laughed more, and thought it made my insides boil to hear them insult Will like that, I managed to swallow my anger and settle for a glare at him. But just as I turned away, prepared to ignore, he made one last remark.

"I bet she'd be a wonder in bed, though."

"I BEG YOUR PARDON?" I screamed, whirling around and rushing at him with full force. That was crossing the line. He deserved to be clocked in the face now.

However, I must've horribly underestimated his strength, because before I knew it, I was sent flying backwards and slamming into an old, rickety table that some bystanders were sitting at. My back collided with the wood with a loud crash, and before I could recover from the shock, the table completely collapsed inwards, sending me to the ground and spilling the contents of the table right on top of me.

The entire surrounding crowd burst into laughter as I sat there, completely soaked in rum. "That'll teach ya, ya weasel!" the man shouted. I coughed, spitting the foul taste of blood from my mouth. When I looked up again, Will was right in front of me, helping me up.

"Elyse!" He got me on my feet and started pulling me away. "Are you all right?"

"F-For the most part, yes..." I said, coming to my senses once again. "Oh God, what was I thinking?"

Will didn't answer, instead dragging me over to Jack and Gibbs, who'd been watching the scene from afar. The pirate cracked a smile once he saw me. "Have you learned your lesson, Missy?" I glowered at him.

"Jack, we need to go," Will said.

The pirate shook his head. "I'm not going anywhere until I've got a crew. We're here for the night."

"No," he insisted. "We have to leave now."

"Will..." I said quietly, "it's fine. We can just...get a room or something. I'll be all right."

But the blacksmith still persisted. "Elyse, we need to get you out of here," he said lowly, looking back at me. "I know you don't want to stay here any more, you said it yourself." He had a point there. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he quickly turned back to the pirate. "We'll stay on the ship."

"No!" Jack shot back.

"Jack, there's nowhere else to go! We're not going to touch anything, we'll just go back and sleep there tonight."

"And you think you'll be safer there?"

"Better than staying in this place."

Jack and Will seemed to stare each other down for several tense moments, both of them being stubborn about the whole thing. Eventually, though, the pirate sighed and begrudgingly backed down. "Fine. But if I see so much as one speck of dust out of place on my ship!-"

Will was already pulling me towards the exit. The two of us walked quickly, as the sun was beginning to set. We needed to make it back before dark. It was quiet for awhile as we wove our way back, but once the docks were finally in sight I spoke up. "Will?" He stopped to turn around. "Thank you."

He offered me a small smile. "Not a problem. Elyse, I'm so sorry that happened to you. I should've done something; stepped in and-"

"You should've told me to stuff it, if anything," I said, rolling my eyes. "I brought it on myself."

"I still should've been able to protect you," he said, starting to walk again.

Once we got back on board the ship, Will insisted on checking me over quickly for injuries, and then I quickly left to go get washed up somehow and get a change of clothes. After checking myself over and redressing again, I found that I'd sustained a bloody lip, a jammed (and now swollen) finger, and several nasty bruises on my back. Though honestly, I was thankful that it was only that and not something much worse.

When I emerged back onto the deck awhile later, I was dressed in a simple puffy white cotton shirt and pants that were both too big for me, but were a comfort to my sore body. There were a few lanterns lit around the ship, but Will was nowhere to be seen, so I settled on going over to the rail and looking out at the dark water ahead. I finally had a much-needed moment to think.

I was so deeply immersed in my thoughts that I didn't notice my shipmate coming up behind me. "You got cleaned up okay?"

At his voice, I jumped and gasped. "Will! You scared me!" I laughed as I turned to face him.

"Sorry," he apologized. "I thought you heard me coming." We fell into another silence again, though not an uncomfortable one. My thoughts were somewhat scrambled still, between the embarrassing display at the bar, Jack's plans to reclaim the _Pearl_, my brother, and figuring out how we were going to rescue Jay. Oh, and Elizabeth too.

_Speaking of which... _I looked over at Will. He was staring down at the soft waves of the ocean, lost in thought as well, and I could tell by the sadness in his eyes that he was thinking about her again. Possibly about his father, too. I hated seeing him look so upset. I wished there was something I could do to help him get his mind off of things...

At that moment, an idea popped into my head, but it was a rather ridiculous one. _Should I? No, no, no, that's too bold. I couldn't possibly..._ I glanced back at him again. _Though...it is just the two of us. Not like anyone else would ever see. And it might cheer him up a bit. _After going back and forth about it for awhile, I finally mustered up all the courage I had and gently reached out to grab his hand.

At my touch, the blacksmith looked up at me. "Elyse?" He frowned slightly as I pulled him away from the rail and out into the open space of the deck. "What are you doing?"

"Helping you get your mind off of things," I replied with a small smile. "Dance with me."

Will looked surprised. "Right now?"

"We're alone, Will," I reassured him, praying that my face wasn't flushing too badly as I laid my other hand on his shoulder. I focused on keeping my voice steady. "It's the middle of the night. No one will see us."

He contemplated that for a moment, and then, to my utter shock, smiled as he wrapped his free arm around my waist, sending shivers up my spine. "All right, then. May I have this dance, Miss Norrington?"

I smiled shyly, playing along. "You may, Mr. Turner."

From there, he led us into a slow-moving waltz, and I followed his lead, the two of us moving all around the deck underneath the glow of a moonlit sky. Eventually we got a little more into the dance, with Will throwing in some twirls and spins here and there. "You're an excellent dancer," he complimented as he let go of my waist and twirled me out.

I blushed as I then spun back into him. "Thank you. You're not so bad yourself...for a blacksmith," I teased.

He laughed a bit. "I remember my mother trying to teach me how to dance when I was young," he said. Then, after a pause he added, "This was the only dance I ever learned."

Now it was my turn to giggle. "Well, you've mastered it." We spun in a circle twice as a pair. "I was required to take lessons when I was twelve. It was nice, but I was happy to be free of it once they were over. I haven't been to many formal dances where the lessons came in handy, though. Sword fighting was a much better skill to learn."

He smiled as we spun again. "And you've gotten quite good at it by now."

"Thanks to you," I reminded him. "You're quite the teacher."

"And you're the best student I could've asked for," he returned politely. "I don't think I know any other girl who'd rather spend her days at the blacksmith's than out browsing the shops."

"Well, at least I know I can defend myself on this adventure if I ever need to."

Will nodded. "Though I hope it doesn't come to that."

I frowned a bit as he spun me outwards again. "Actually...that reminds me." I spun back. "I overheard Jack saying he wants to go after the _Black Pearl_."

"Well, of course. That's where they're holding Jay and Elizabeth."

"No, I mean...he sounded like he was planning on taking it back for himself or something. And Gibbs was saying something about 'tales' of the ship...I'm not entirely sure what he means by that, though."

Will's brow furrowed in confusion. "Neither do I. But that's not something to worry about now."

"Agreed." We danced for awhile longer, spinning and twirling and waltzing away to a silent song, only stopping when the chill of the night grew a bit too harsh.

I rubbed my hands together, smiling. "Well! I'd say that was the best dance I've ever had."

Will returned my grin and bowed. "It was an honor to be your partner."

I laughed and returned his bow with a curtsy. "Likewise. Goodnight, Will."

"Goodnight, Elyse."

I turned and walked off, leaving Will to whatever he was planning on doing before heading to bed. There was plenty of space in the captain's private quarters, so I'd decided to make myself comfortable there, snuggling down into the bed and staring out the window as I slowly began to grow tired. But for as long as I laid there, I couldn't slow my racing heart, nor could I forget the feeling that had pulsed through my veins when Will had held me so close to him out on the deck. I closed my eyes and remembered the feeling of his strong hand wrapped around mine, smiling to myself as I fell asleep.

**A/N: Today we've learned that Elyse isn't good in bars and that Will can only waltz. What'll we discover in the next chapter? No one knows...until I decide to update again, that is. ;)**

**~Erin**


End file.
